Making Paper
by KyraKayden
Summary: Melody Jayne. Not much is known about her before arriving in Los Santos except that somewhere, someplace she was a soldier. Now, running with the infamous trio of Michael, Franklin and Trevor she serves only one motivation: the desire for Wealth. Rated M for explicit content sex, drug use, graphic violence. As always I welcome PM's, questions, reviews, I only ask that you enjoy.
1. Melody Jayne

November 11th, 2013

"MJ, we're coming out!"

The door to the bank bursts open as Michael and Franklin hurry down the stairs. Melody yanks back the charge lever with a loud snap as she peers down the scope through her yellow shooters glasses. She presses the stock against her shoulder as she adjusts herself in her position perched high atop the bridge stanchion.

The bank was over eight hundred yards away, and the wind makes the papers in her data book whip a little before she drops one of the .308 caliber rounds onto them.

A security guard barrels through the doors behind them as Melody Jayne's finger brushes the trigger. The weapon bucks as the round ejects and before she could exhale the round tears through the guard's skull and blows his brains all over the large glass window. She clicks the large button attached to her tactical vest.

"You're clear." Michael slides over the hood as he swings himself into the front seat and starts the engine.

"We're in MJ, get the hell out of there."

"Roger that." Melody stuffs her data book into her backpack and slings the rifle over her neck as she grabs ahold of the carabiner attached to a long length of rope and jumps.

The wind echoes in her ears as the ground rushes towards her, Melody yanks on the line just before she impacts and nimbly flips upright landing half crouched on the asphalt.

"Are you clear yet?" Melody jogs over to her car dumping the rifle and her backpack in the passenger seat as she looks around just before sliding behind the wheel of the modified Feltzer.

The engine roars to life and her tires squeal as they catch traction. The transmission audibly pops just before the blow off valves hiss as she shifts into second and accelerates over the bridge, glancing down at her speedometer. 90...110...

"I'm working on it." Melody downshifts and revs the engine as she weaves around one car that blows its horn at her before braking hard and whipping the car around a sharp corner off the bridge and onto the city streets.

"How far are you behind us?" She glances down at her phone a purple dot indicating Michael's car, she yanks hard on the e-brake and guns the car down an alley.

"Forty five seconds." 55...60... Melody jams the brake pedal to the floor with both feet as she twists the wheel hard weaving inbetween two manicured palm trees in the center median missing a minivan by inches before depressing the clutch shifting and gunning her way down the street.

"We've got heat." Franklin's voice comes over the headset as Melody tightens her grip on the steering wheel the car catching air as she bounces over the top of a hill. She almost cracks her head on the window as she lands the tires screeching as they catch traction on the blacktop again and Melody sees their tail lights in the distance, the cops in pursuit.

"Fifteen seconds." She weaves around a car just as it slams on its brakes and guns the engine to the apex of a sharp curve letting it coast and downshifting as she twists the wheel into the exit apex gunning the car, accelerating into the draft of the trailing police car.

"I'm here."

"Can you do anything about that car?"

"On it." She can see the officer looking at her through his rearview mirror just before she swings the car out and accelerates until the nose is even with his rear tire. She spins the wheel hard gunning the engine forcing the cop into a wild spin as she tries to break away but fails and gets clipped.

The car begins spinning wildly as Melody downshifts once, then twice trying to steer her way into the skid and revs the engine again. She grits her teeth as she manages to pull out of the spin just in time for her to catch the corner of a cement guard rail. She feels the car go weightless and her rifle goes flying the stock hits her in the head and everything goes black.

"Man hurry that shit up!" Franklin's panicked voice echoes in her ears, his voice sounded a thousand miles away as her driver's side window explodes.

"MJ?" Michael's boots, then leather gloved hand, then Michael's face appears as he kneels and looks in the car. The sounds of gunfire could be heard in her earpiece and just beyond the car.

"Franklin she's alive hold them off as long as you can." Michael pulls a knife from his boot as he crawls half into the car over the broken glass.

"I think I had an accid-ent." She manages, her words were slightly slurred and her voice trails off as her eyes roll back then close. Michael smirks to himself as he cuts her seatbelt and hauls Melody out of the turned over and wrecked car. He pulls her clear of it and lifts her up under the arms, pulling her into the backseat and shutting the door.

"I got her Franklin let's go!" Michael shoves himself behind the wheel and slams the accelerator to the floor as Franklin turns and ducks behind the wheel of his own car.


	2. The Recruit

"Six hundred eighty seven thousand for you."

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Franklin takes the duffel bag of cash from Michael and drops it into the passenger seat of his white Adder.

Melody groans as she sits up her silky copper colored hair cascading off one shoulder, blinking in the bright lights of the garage.

"Look who's awake." Melody gives him a pained smile as she looks down at her bloody white tank top Michael had cut her out of her desert tan tactical vest.

"How you feelin'?" He walks over and helps her to her feet, the hem of her cargo pants falling around her boots.

"I'll manage." Melody touches her bruised ribs and lets out a small groan as she limps over to the table where Michael had put her cut of the bank job and slides the strap over her neck.

"At least let me drive you home?" Franklin shakes his head as he opens the car door and slips behind the wheel igniting the engine as the garage door opens. Melody watches him go as she looks at Michael and nods.

"Sure." She dumps the duffel bag into his backseat and winces as she climbs in beside him. Michael clicks the button closing the garage doors behind them as he pulls onto the street.

Melody sits in silence tipping her frosted steel and amber lensed aviators down over her eyes and resting her cheek against the cool glass of the window. Watching the cars whiz by was making her queasy and Michael's driving wasn't helping much either.

"Sorry about your car." Michael says, breaking the long silence and glancing her way.

"Hao will fix me up another." She idly plays with one zipper pull on the duffel bag of cash now resting on her lap.

"You saved my life...again." Melody shrugs, a maneuver that makes her wince in pain lightning firing over her cracked ribs and up her flank.

"So your apartment then?" She pushes the glasses further up her nose as she looks at him for the first time since leaving the garage.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Michael glances her way and doesn't respond. Michael was trying to piece his marriage back together and after his wife and kids left, he found the big empty house a bit too empty and he had run to MJ for company.

He remembered the way her body felt in his hands as she sat on his lap. The feel of the .45 caliber automatic handgun he had given her for her birthday tucked at the small of her back as she kissed him. The way her blue eyes glinted in the light, and the way her shimmering red hair smelled, his face buried in it as he fucked her.

It was the accent, he told himself, or the body. That supple flawless white skin, that South African accent. Or was it because she was so...capable? Melody was beautiful, smart, funny but most of all she was dangerous. That and she loved to pull scores...what more could a guy want?

Looking at her as she stares out of the window at the sea just beyond the coastal highway, his eyes wander from her copper ringlets to her perfect breasts, down her trim sides toned stomach and down her long legs.

It wasn't a good idea.

Michael pulls into the parking lot of Melody's Vinewood apartment building, one of the nicest in Los Santos. Melody throws open the door and steps out.

"So I'll call you?" Melody doesn't answer him as she swings the door shut behind her.

Melody's apartment was her sanctuary. Framed classic movie posters and graphic art lined the walls, her kitchen was brushed stainless and rich mahogany cabinets with marble countertops. She walks through her living room dumping her keys onto her glass top coffee table and stops to flip open a small wood box in the center of the table.

She flicks her hair over one shoulder as she slips one of the hand wrapped blunts between her lips and uses the jade and gold table lighter to puff it to life. She stops for a moment, her hand on one hip and exhales watching the blueish smoke curl to the ceiling before she hitches the duffel bag strap higher up her shoulder and walks into her bedroom.

Walking past her temptingly soft bed she opens her closet doors and slaps the corner of the pop out panel behind her clothes. The panel falls free and she sets it aside pressing her thumb to the print lock of the tall and wide safe, then she spins the combo lock. Right, left, left, the internal bolts snap open and she hauls open the door.

Inside the safe were several guns set neatly into upright racks and handguns resting on hooks bolted onto the door. Exhaling the thick smoke from her lungs she unzips the duffel bag and sets the stacks of cash onto one shelf within the safe beside the rest of them. Half for the safe and half for the bank, the half for the bank she leaves in the bag. Shutting the thick safe door and refitting the wall panel she drops the duffel next to her boots and steps out of them, turning and crossing the floor she collapses onto her bed.

November 14th, 2013

The sunlight lit up the gym and made it feel like the surface of the sun. Melody ducks her sparring partner's wide swing and comes up in the open and undefended space between driving her fist into his abdomen. She ducks under his next swing and drives her knee into his diaphragm shoving him back she pivots off her back foot and her heel catches him across the jaw as he wobbles his way upright again.

She blows some bangs away from her face as her partner stumbles back and calls for a time out.

"You're aggressive today." Jim bends over putting his hands on his knees.

"I needed to work off some steam." She lowers her taped fists and picks up her towel from the floor wiping her forehead with it.

Michael watches her as he leans against the stone pillar of her gym. He had never been much more than a drunken bar brawler, watching Melody fight always made him wish he had learned some technique. Krav Maga, Sambo, Muay Thai, Melody seemed to know a dozen styles and blended them all into her own destructive techniques.

Melody had her back to him but suddenly straightens turning she comes to stare directly at him like she could feel being watched. Michael pushes off of the pillar and crosses the gym floor to the mat.

"Stalk much?"

"I'm sorry, I needed to speak to you." Michael glances at her sparring partner.

"Alone." Melody wipes her neck with the towel then nods in the direction of the locker room as she drinks from her water bottle. Michael follows her past the weight benches and through the double doors. Melody walks over to her locker and pulls it open.

"Talk."

"You ok? You've been a little hostile lately." Melody sighs tossing the towel into her locker.

"Yeah just sore I guess, makes me touchy. What did you need, M?"

"I need you for another job." Melody pulls a shirt on over her sports bra and flips her hair from the neckline.

"When?"

"Garment Factory, we'll meet with Lester around eight." Melody slaps the locker shut and flips her key ring around her finger.

"I'll be there."

"And I said to the girl, a dance? I thought I was getting you for the ni-well, hello." Trevor pushes himself off the desk as Melody walks into the office upstairs in the garment factory. She nods at Franklin and Michael as Trevor circles her like a hungry dog.

"When are me and you finally gunna twist some bed sheets sister?" Melody's blue eyes follow him as he walks around her.

"Never going to happen, Trevor." Trevor's face grows angry.

"Why because you're fucking Michael?! Lose the zero babe, and get with the hero." Trevor grabs her right forearm and Melody locks her left hand over his hand trapping it to her arm. Circling her now trapped right hand over his wrist she twists Trevor's wrist to the breaking point and shoves him to his knees.

"Touch me once more and you'll never jerk off right again." Melody growls as she releases the wrist lock and pushes him away from her.

"Oh darlin' the fun me and you will have." His voice trails off as he rubs his wrist and his eyes wander over her.

"Hi MJ." Melody brushes some bangs behind one ear as she blows the air from her lungs and smiles.

"Hey Lester, how you feeling?"

"Good days and bad."

"Well call me on a good day, you still owe me that drink." She winks at the little man as she plops down onto the couch between Michael and Franklin.

"So boys, what's the deal?" Lester limps over to a large wheeled corkboard and turns it around revealing a set of plans.

"We have a little job going on the side, and we need financing. That being said..." He points to a picture of the bank on the board.

"Paleto Bay."


	3. Blaine County Savings Bank

November 19th, 2013

Melody knocks back the last of the drink in her hand cradling the cup against her chest as she sways with her back against the girl she was dancing with.

"_...and I can feel you all around me thickening the air I'm breathing, holding onto all I'm feeling savoring this heart that's healing..._"

Melody turns in the girl's arms, gazing into her green eyes as the girl's hands slide down her sides to her hips and pulls her closer.

"_...I'm alive, I'm still alive..._" The girl, whose name Melody hadn't bothered to ask, presses her lips to Melody's ear.

"Take me home?" Melody nods taking the girl's hand and leading her off of the dance floor. The pair walk out of the club, Melody's heels clicking on the asphalt as she uses the remote to unlock the black Coquette parked on the other side of the lot.

She slips behind the driver's seat and ignites the engine reversing out of the lot and accelerating down the street, the girl's hand sliding up her thigh as she leans over kissing her neck.

"Faster." Melody smirks as she shifts, 85...95..110...the girl's hand moves higher up Melody's thigh and under her black dress. Melody was slowly parting her toned thighs when her cell phone rings.

"Ignore it." Melody glances down at the phone, dropped carelessly in the center console. Michael.

"I can't." Melody downshifts and pulls in behind an SUV as they slow to a stop at a traffic light. The girl falls back into her seat and blows the air from her lungs as she brushes her hair behind one ear and straightens her dress, Melody picks up the phone.

"This had better be good, M."

"The job's on, Trevor's place, two hours." Michael hangs up and Melody drops the phone.

"I'm afraid I have to cut our evening short." The girl looks at her for a long moment before she nods.

"I have a friend lives just up here." She points to a side street leading into an apartment complex, Melody twists the wheel and brakes just in front of the pull through, the doorman approaching to open the door for the girl.

"Can I get your number?" She asks as she steps out and leans in the window.

"No." Melody revs the engine and shifts out of neutral the tires screeching as she pulls a hard turn out of the lot and towards Paleto Bay.

"It's not inappropriate!"

"It's another one of your fucking disasters! That's what it is!"

"First you take a hostage against my advice, then you start some crazy high school romance with her! Are you nuts?!" Melody stops just in the doorway of the meth lab.

"She's-"

"She's a sixty year old housewife!"

"Hey, MJ." Lester looks up from his computer.

"Lester." She folds her arms across her chest and watches the two men go at it.

"Ahh, she's fifty seven and she thinks I'm mature! Besides talk about my love life you're the one fucking GI Jane!" Trevor stabs an index finger in Melody's direction as Michael turns to see her leaning in the doorway.

"You leave her out of this!"

"I agree, leave me out of this Trevor." Melody pulls up the cleanest chair she could find and sits down in it folding one exposed knee over the other, dropping her handbag onto the table with the audible thud only her gun could make. It was also the only thing in the little clutch, besides cash.

"You're not making my situation any easier!"

"Oh there's a surprise, I knew you'd make this about you!"

"I miss my family!" Melody arches an eyebrow as Lester shakes his head.

"Oh you're full of shit! You ignored them, and now that they're gone you only miss them because you think you're supposed to miss them! Meanwhile you laugh all the way to little miss sharpshooter's bedroom. Fuckin' incredible."

"I said leave her out of this!"

"Hey!" Franklin shouts from the doorway as he takes the last step up and walks through it.

"Hey! Enough! You dragged me out here, you roped me into your crazy ass world of bullshit! If it was lies, cheatin', and tales of how good life used to be I coulda stayed my ass in Los Santos!"

"Hello, Franklin." Lester chimes in.

"What's up? MJ."

"Frank."

"Nice dress."

"Thanks, Ponsonby's, only four thousand."

"Not bad, on Portola Drive?" Melody nods about to speak before Michael interrupts.

"Alright...here's the shot. In the morning we're going to Paleto Bay and we're gunna do this thing. Any questions? Comments?" Trevor raises his hand.

"Yeah, I-"

"It was rhetorical Trevor, everyone grab a room at the Dream View Motel and we'll meet at first light."

Melody drops her toothbrush back into her duffel bag and ruffles her silky copper hair, turning at the soft knock at her door. She slides the .45 from under her pillow and snaps back the slide racking one into the chamber, padding barefoot over to the door and looking out of the peephole. Michael. She sighs, resting her head against the door.

"You know I could see the light disappear from the peephole." He says through the door his voice muffled by the thick wood. Melody unlocks the door, slides off the chain and swings open the door for him.

Turning back he watches her long bare legs as she walks over to the minibar, setting her gun on top of it. Dressed only in a grey t-shirt that simply said ARMY, it barely covers her ass as she leans over, reaching for the single malt. She holds up a second glass and he nods as she drops them onto the table and pours.

"I just wanted to say-about earlier..." Melody downs the first glass and pours another.

"I really wish you wouldn't."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"I don't need to, Michael we fucked like twice. Now I'm forever that home wrecking girl who slept with her boss."

"That's not how it was and you know it."

"Well, that's how it is now." Melody looks into the bottom of her glass for a long moment before downing the contents.

"I should go..." Michael takes one last look into those haunting blue eyes before he finishes his drink and leaves.

"Goodnight Michael."

Melody shuts the trunk of her car slinging her rifle bag over her shoulder as Michael pulls up in a white van. She climbs in the back taking a seat on the bench next to Franklin, tucking her ear buds into her ears as she leans back and Michael closes the doors. The road out of the inn was dirt and bumpy until Michael pulls onto the highway.

"_...left her books, her car, her clothes and a note but all she wrote was "Tonight I'm leaving on a train..." She said she's headed west to make it right..._" Melody watches the boy's lips move, their voices drowned out by her music. Trevor looks at her, mouthing something as she reaches up and drops her yellow shooters glasses onto her eyes then closes them.

Trevor reaches out and yanks an ear bud from her ear.

"I said tell-" Melody grabs his hand and in the same motion hauls Trevor out of his seat towards her falling onto the floor of the van as she snatches the combat knife from the small of her back and presses it to his carotid where his jaw meets his neck. Franklin looks at her as Melody looks down at Trevor adding a little pressure to the blade against his skin.

"MJ, don't."

"I have told you twice now Trevor, never touch me again. There will not be a third time." She puts her boot on his shoulder and shoves him back to the other bench opposite the one she sat on.

"Sister you need to calm your ass down. Whats a' matter, Michael not givin' you any?" Melanie sheaths the blade along the small of her back and leans forward.

"Trevor, I'm your backup on this. Meaning when it all hits the fan and those bullets start coming out of thin air like the Hand of God himself one could easily lose track in all the wind and chaos and find itself lodged in your skull." Trevor looks at her for a moment as he hauls himself back onto the bench as she tucks the ear bud back into her ear and closes her eyes again.

A few minutes later Franklin bumps her shoulder and Melody sits upright, pulling the earbuds from her ears.

"I need to get you mic'd. Your stop's coming up." She nods turning her back to him as he tucks a small radio into a pocket on the back of her vest at her shoulder blade running the earpiece up and to her ear, and wiring in the large transmitter button that clipped to the front of her tactical vest as Melody belts the throat mic around her neck.

"Gimme a test?" Melody presses the simple button.

"Test, Alpha Bravo Charlie, Test."

"Good to go."

Melody unzips the long rifle bag and withdraws the heavy sniper rifle. The CheyTac .408 M300 McMillan was a precision engagement rifle designed for a maximum combat range of twenty five hundred meters and beyond. She snaps back the bolt and pops the seven round box clip examining it before she slaps it home and shoves the bolt forward, slinging the hand tooled leather strap over her neck.

"MJ?" Michael looks in the rearview at her, she tugs on her fingerless Wiley-X combat gloves and gives him a thumbs up, whipping her hair into a quick ponytail and tugging on a simple tan ballcap backwards. Michael skids to a stop as Franklin opens the doors and Melody jumps out taking off at a sprint into the woods.

"MJ, can you hear me?" Michael's voice crackles in her ear, she sweeps a branch out of her face panting as she sprints up the steep ridge, depressing the transmitter as she plants her other hand and throws herself over a downed tree.

"I'm a little busy Michael."

"We're pulling up to the Bank."

"Roger that."

Melody looks to her right as she runs, off in the distance she can just make out the white van pulling into the parking lot of the Bank, once she was above the factory she would be set. She jumps over another log and skids to a stop, dropping to one padded knee she unbuckles the pack from her vest and shrugs it off, unslinging her rifle crawling onto her stomach.

She opens her pack and uses a laser rangefinder to get her distance to the bank, just under twenty two hundred and fifty yards. She flips open her data book and quickly scribbles out the math occasionally glancing up at the flags on various buildings to get an idea of the way the wind was blowing along her field of fire.

Looking at the trees around her and before her, the leaves were just barely rustling and she could feel it on her skin, she judged the wind between five and ten miles per hour.

She makes the adjustment to her scope, nine clicks on top four on the side would put her right at the parking lot. She drops her pencil onto her book as she flips open the bipod, sets down the rifle and was just pressing it to her shoulder when she could hear the alarm going off. At that distance it meant the alarm had actually been ringing for about a second and a half longer than that.

"MJ, cops are on the way." She pivots the rifle down the long road past the bank and factory and confirms six police cars were pulling out of the diner about five miles away.

"Confirmed, you have fifty seconds."

As the squad cars swarm the lot she peers down the scope and spies Trevor coming out of the door far enough to antagonize them, blasting off a couple of potshots with his sawed off. She shakes her head, pulling the stock tighter against her shoulder.

"We're coming out!" Michael's voice echoes in the helmet of his big armored suit.


	4. When it Hits the Fan

The trio burst out of the door brandishing miniguns and the bullets start flying. Melody watches as she pulls back the bolt and snaps it closed with a fresh round into the chamber.

Melody drops her finger onto the trigger as she chooses a target and fires, the big rifle bucks as the round explodes from the barrel and sails through the air punching through one door of a police car and killing the man on the other side. She works the bolt and picks the next target her finger dropping to the trigger as she waits for her breathing to pause naturally after exhaling and fires again.

When her other eye opens she sees something that makes her pivot the rifle and look down the road, then adjusts the zoom on the scope and presses the button at her chest.

"Michael you have Military personnel headed your way." She trails the three Humvees as the sound of gunfire echoes in her earpiece.

"They called the Army on us?"

"Take care of them." Melody makes a quick hold over calculation on the fly and fires. The bullet has a six second flight time before the driver's side of the windshield is suddenly sprayed with blood, the Humvee veering off the road and crashing as Melody works the bolt.

The second Humvee doesn't follow the course of the one trailing which steers away and accelerates, she forces herself to exhale and the rifle bucks as she fires again, barely catching the driver of the second Humvee who manages to control the vehicle for a moment as he dies and then catches a guard rail scraping to a stop.

Melody pivots slightly to track as she sees something that makes her heart plummet into her stomach. White smoke pops from the barrel of the massive tank and she has just enough time to cover her head as the round drops out of the air and explodes several hundred feet away but close enough to wash her with heat and pelt her with bits of wood. She coughs in the dust as she shoulders the rifle again and presses the transmitter.

"Michael, plan B."

"What plan B?" Franklin's voice comes over the radio.

"Get to the factory, MJ do it." Melody grabs her pack as another tank shell explodes near her, slinging the rifle she throws herself over the ridge and skids down the steep grade.

She rolls as she catches traction and manages to halt her spin on one padded knee before taking off at a dead run. She splashes her way through a tiny stream and throws herself at the twelve foot chain link fence bordering the factory and the ridgeline.

"Choppers!" Melody claws her way up the fence and throws herself over dropping the last six feet and landing half crouched before unslinging her rifle and shouldering it.

Gunfire suddenly erupts around her as she peers down the scope at the attack chopper hovering over the scene, she looks to her right and sees the factory guard coming at her as she holds the rifle in her left hand and snatches her handgun from the crossdraw holster on her vest pumping six rounds into him.

She jogs up a small ramp built over a massive pipe and shoulders the rifle again, taking a shot at the chopper. She misses and lowers the rifle quickly cycling the short action bolt before raising it and firing again, this time the bullet tearing through the cabin and hitting the pilot.

Not severe enough to kill him but he falls forward on the stick and throws the chopper into a spin he couldn't recover from, it drops out of her sight before she hears it explode.

A bullet ricochets off the metal railing of the ramp and she turns, firing the rifle from her hip catching the factory guard in the chest knocking him back off his feet. Melody turns and jumps the five steps from the platform slinging the rifle as she jogs over the rail tracks and hauls herself up onto the loading dock.

"We're coming into the factory now!" She drops the clip from her .45 and pulls an extended clip from a pocket on her vest, slapping it home and yanking the slide back. Making her way down the ramp into a loading bay she sees several soldiers taking up positions in anticipation of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin coming through the opposite doors.

Melody ducks back around the corner and pulls the silencer from her top left vest pocket screwing it onto the .45. She leans around the corner and puts a bullet in the closest soldier at the base of his skull running and skidding on her padded knees she catches him letting him slump quietly to the ground.

She picks up his assault rifle, what looked like a modified HK 416, with an 18" free floating barrel and a foregrip. Quickly looking over the crate he had hidden behind she takes a quick count of the men in the room. Three far left, three right and two straight up the middle, a nice clean field of fire in true military fashion. She opens three pockets on her vest and pulls out her flashbangs, the sound of gunfire growing ever closer as Michael and company fight their way to the loading docks.

She waits.

"Fire!"

The order comes only moments later as they all begin firing at the boys, unstoppable juggernauts in their heavy armor. Their miniguns begin making Swiss cheese of everything in the room as she stays low and pops the pins on the flashbangs.

One left, one right, and one right up the middle. She claps her gloved palms to her ears and screws her eyes shut as she feels the pops go off and throws herself to her feet just in time for Franklin to almost take her head off.

"It's me! It's me!" She calls out as the barrel on his minigun begins spinning to a stop, the trio lumbering up to her as she turns and leads the way back into the dock.

"How long until the train comes?" Trevor and Franklin both turn to watch their six as Michael and Melody lean out of the bay and look down the long tracks, she glances at her watch.

"Any minute, we'll have to hold them off." She cycles the charge lever on the assault rifle with a loud snap and ducks behind a crate.

The soldiers begin flooding into the room almost on cue as Melody winces at the sounds of the miniguns suddenly going off around her, lifting her head up she moves above her cover enough to fire three rounds into the nearest soldier.

"How long?!" Trevor yells at her as he runs out of minigun ammunition and drops it, retrieving the sawed off from his duffel. Melody rises up enough to empty six rounds into the unlucky soldier who makes it as far as the ramp to the loading dock the bullets stitching a path up his face and sending him tumbling backwards.

The train whistles as it rolls by the bay, the wind suddenly whipping into the enclosed space as she turns to look.

"Now!" She jumps from cover firing wildly from the hip as she launches herself through the air and into an open cargo container, quickly rolling out of the way to avoid being crushed as the others throws themselves in behind her.

Michael throws the helmet off his head as he rolls onto his back and throws his arms into the air laughing.

"Whoo, man yes! Fuckin' A!" Melody pulls herself upright in the corner, her knees coming to her chest as she blows the air from her lungs and lets her head fall back against the metal wall.

"That was without a doubt the dumbest thing I ever done in my life!" Franklin rolls onto his hands and knees and lets his helmet clatter to the metal floor.

"Give it time kid." Michael says slapping him on the shoulder. Melody pulls her shooters glasses off her face and rubs her eyes.

"MJ, you did one helluva job out there."

"Yeah Frank, you too." Michael doesn't say anything as he looks at her Melody's arms coming to rest on her bent knees, her blue eyes meeting his.

It takes about an hour for the train to slowly screech to a halt at its final destination and Michael insists they wait five more minutes before he finally gives the ok, just as the light from a flashlight fills the cabin Melody snapping up her .45 at the man.

"Whoa, whoa I'm a friendly. Agent Sanchez." MJ drops out of the train car behind Franklin.

"Our very own corrupt G-man in training." Michael says as he climbs out of the car.

"You gotta be careful around here buddy 'cause they search these trains for illegals."

"Shut up Trevor." Melody says as she brushes past him hitching the sling of her rifle higher up her shoulder. The Agent's eyes following her as she walks past.

"Who's that?"

"None of your concern." Michael dumps the bags into the back of the SUV.

"That everything?" Sanchez asks as he unzips the bags.

"Yeah." He retrieves a few stacks of cash and hands them out.

"And here's your cut." Melody turns over the cash in her hand.

"You serious?" She asks arching an eyebrow.

"Government job, government wages kid sorry." Melody grabs Sanchez with one fistful of his shirt shoving him against the side of his SUV.

"Whoa whoa hey! MJ!" Michael protests grabbing her left hand as it falls to the hilt of the knife sheathed along the small of her back.

"I don't get out of bed for ten grand you little troll." She growls as Michael pries her hand from the Agent's clean white shirt.

"Keep a leash on your bitch Michael." Michael grabs both of Melody's arms now as she tries to launch herself at him her fingers barely missing and clawing thin air.

"Come on, come on let it go." He says in her ear as she tries to pull her arms free.

"Let it go."

"I'll see you around Michael, Trevor, Franklin..." He pauses to look at Melody.

"Miss."

"I'd have someone else start your car in the morning Agent." She calls after him as he gives her the finger and pulls away from the train car. Melody kicks the dirt and picks up the stack of cash she dropped.

"You can't put a bomb in his car."

"Yeah but now he'll spend at least an hour in the morning looking for one." She smirks as she zips the money into her pack and swings it onto one shoulder.

"See you around amigos." She throws them a wave as she backpedals and turns on one heel walking to the road.

"I don't know why you hate her so much T." Franklin says as he looks at that pitiful stack of cash in his hand.

"She almost as crazy as you."


	5. Out Past Your Bedtime

Melody downshifts the modified white Feltzer the turbocharger screaming as she shifts and slams the accelerator to the floor gunning past the closest car taking her position in second. She yanks the e-brake, twisting the wheel and revs the engine as she corners the tight turn, the flashes of cameras and camera phones almost blinding her as she accelerates up the straightaway her blue eyes focused on one thing.

Hao.

"..._Where's my limousine? It's just like a dream that I won't wake up from._.."

Hao's orange 9F was only a hundred yards or so ahead and Melody smirks as she shifts into fifth the blow off valves hissing after the audible pop of the transmission and the Feltzer leaps forward the music pounding in her ears as onlookers lining the blocks snap pictures of the pearlescent white sports car.

"..._Is it no surprise that I'm paralyzed from my fame and fortune..._"

Melody drops in right on Hao's tail lights downshifting and slowing, following him as he tries to shake her left then right, then left again and Melody slams the gas shifting and accelerating past him. A smile splits her lips as she hits the brakes with both feet and takes another sharp turn, the impromptu spray painted finish line beyond unseen but the crowd of people around it made it unmistakable.

".._.Make me a superstar! It don't matter who you are, make me a superstar!._.."

She accelerates up the long straightaway towards the flashes of cameras, glancing at Hao in her rearview as she throws the shifter into fifth and presses the accelerator to the floor. Hao makes a valiant effort to close the gap between them making it as far as her bumper before they both hit the finish doing over a hundred and twenty.

Melody quickly downshifts, pumping the brake she works her car into fourth then third, pulling the e-brake and pressing the brake to the floor with both feet gripping the wheel as the car screeches to a halt just a few feet short of two people snapping pictures. Melody lets the car idle and cuts the engine as she steps out, her car beginning to get swarmed by people as Hao comes up to her and they shake hands and hug.

"You beat me again you bitch." He smiles as he slaps the stack of cash they had bet against her chest. She tucks the cash in the back pocket of her jeans and stuffs her hands in her sleeveless hoodie, smiling at people and their various congratulations until a young blonde girl comes up to her.

"Oh my god that was just amazing I-"

"Tracey?" Melody looks at the young girl who suddenly looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Melody?" Melody grabs the young woman by her upper arm and hauls her around her car near the rear bumper.

"What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Watching the race? Duh."

"Tracey you shoul-" Melody looks up as people begin to scatter the sounds of sirens growing and red and blue lights beginning to reflect off of the buildings.

Melody looks behind her and sees the police cars turn the corner and accelerate towards them. She grabs Tracey by the arm and throws open the passenger door.

"Wha-Melody!" She protests as Melody roughly shoves her down into the passenger seat slamming the door. The closest cop car throws open its door and they jump out shotguns at the ready.

Melody acts before thinking and on instinct reaches to the small of her back for her .45. The desert tan handgun comes up in the space between their two cars and she starts emptying rounds as she circles the car. One cop clutches his chest as he stumbles back behind the door of his car, his partner racking the pump action on the shotgun and firing at her.

She fires a few more rounds over the roof of the car swinging herself behind the wheel and igniting the engine. She slams the gear shift forward and stomps the accelerator the car jumping the curb and leaping down an alley, Tracey looks behind them in shock.

"Oh my god you shot that cop! Is he dead?" Melody grimaces as she looks in the rearview, yanks the e-brake and takes a sharp right onto the street one block up and punches through a red light, the cops still on their ass sirens screaming as they try to gain on her.

"He probably had a vest on." Her blue eyes flick over street names as they whip past and when she comes to one she recognizes she pulls the e-brake and twists the wheel, flicking off the bright blue headlights as she accelerates down the long street the transmission popping as she downshifts and coasts down another side street.

"Open that glovebox, find me the remote with the green strip of tape." Tracey pulls open the glove box frantically searching as Melody counts the darkened houses and mailboxes before braking and pulling into a small driveway. At the end of the squat driveway was a small garage, she just hope he'd left it empty. The garage door grinds open and Melody kills the engine coasting into it.

She looks behind them as police cars scream past. Blowing the air from her lungs she looks at Tracey before she ignites the engine again and reverses out of the driveway of Franklin's old Grove Street house.

"I'm going to owe Franklin on this one." Melody mutters to herself as she accelerates out of his neighborhood, taking the next main street towards Franklin's storage garage.

"What did you say? Where are we?" Thankfully Franklin's garage wasn't far from his old house and she breathes a sigh of relief, blowing the copper bangs away from her cheek as she hits the second button on the green striped remote and coasts into the garage beside one of Franklin's cars.

"Get out." She tells Tracey as she locks up the car and pulls a knife from her pocket. Pressing the thumbstud the blade snaps open and she shoves it into the space between the lock and the frame of the cabinet where Franklin kept the keys. She grunts as she twists her wrist and pops it open, taking the set of keys to the blue Vacca it beeps as she approaches it.

Tracey slides into the seat beside her as Melody ignites the engine and accelerates out of the garage almost before the door was open enough missing the bottom of it by inches, the tires screeching as she hauls ass up the main street. Driving with her knee, she shifts once then pulls her cell phone from her pocket and dials Franklin.

"MJ, 'sup girl?"

"F, I had some problems had to take your Vacca out of the lockup." There's a long pause on the other end as she holds the phone to her right ear with her left hand and shifts with her right.

"And do you intend to bring back my expensive ass car?"

"With a full tank and freshly detailed."

"Aite then we square."

"Thanks Frank, I owe you." She hangs up as she accelerates onto the highway weaving between cars and towards Rockford Hills.

Melody chews her bottom lip the entire trip to the Hills, blowing every red light along the way and checking her rearview mirror a thousand times until she finally makes the right turn into Michael's driveway. Melody dials Michael as she stops just short of his black sedan.

"I'm outside." She swings herself out of the front seat as Michael comes out of the double doors.

"Tracey-what the hell, MJ? Is that Franklin's car?" He spreads his arms as he walks up to them, Melody leaning back against the hood stuffing her hands into the front pockets of her tight sleeveless hoodie.

"Tell him."

"Melody killed a cop!" Michael looks at MJ who rolls her eyes.

"The other part."

"I was at a street race-and-and she won and then-"

"You took her to a street race?!"

"No I went with my boyfriend..."

"We'll come back to that how do the cops factor in here?" Melody brushes her bangs behind one ear.

"They busted up the finish line. Kid got caught in the middle." Tracey walks past them inside as Melody flips the key ring around her finger.

"You're welcome." She calls after her as she pushes off the hood and turns pulling open the driver's side door.

"MJ?" She looks up halfway into the car.

"Thanks."

Melody swings herself the rest of the way behind the wheel and turns over the engine backing slowly out of Michael's driveway.


	6. Displaced

Sipping the red wine, Melody's heels click as she circles the wooden floor of her beach house. The girl resting on her knees on the floor looks up at her panting, her eyes rolling back and closing as Melody's fingers slip through her soft cinnamon colored locks. As Melody sits in front of the girl and sips her wine her finger gently slides down the girl's cheek and cups her chin.

"Look at me." Melody brushes some hair from the girl's cheeks as she leans down and their lips meet for the briefest of moments, the girl's lips leaning forward as Melody's pull away eager for more.

"Now you're going to lick me, and you're not going to stop until I cum. Do you understand?" Melody's voice was soft but stern, her blue eyes gazing into the girl's shimmering sea green eyes reflecting the flames of the candles around them.

"Yes." Melody leans back in her chair as the girl's pretty face moves between her legs.

Melody slowly slips the lacy straps of her top down over her shoulders peeling it down and exposing her breasts. She gasps softly as the girl's tongue makes contact slowly sliding up her wet slit.

"That's it...slower." She runs her fingers through the girl's hair as she sets the glass down on the table beside the chair.

Melody's eyes roll back, she bites her lower lip and whimpers as the girl's tongue slides over her clit and she struggles against the silk bonds around her wrists wanting to touch Melody so badly.

"Good girl." A soft moan escapes her lips as her free hand slides over her breast, her erect nipple, her stockinged legs slipping onto the girl's shoulders, loving the way her tongue makes its way inside of her a smile splitting her lips.

"Just like that."

Melody yells she's on her way her voice muffled by the toothbrush in her mouth as she shuffles to the door of her beach house tieing the sash of her black silk robe tighter around her waist. She stops, her hand on the doorknob as she looks out of the peephole at two uniformed officers. She lets her head thud against the door before she straightens and opens it blinking in the bright morning sun.

"Yea?"

"Melody Annabeth Jayne?" She looks from one cop to the next and spits the mouthful of toothpaste into the taller one's face. She drives her heel into the nerve running up his calf sending him to his knees as she ducks under the second officer's swing and shoves him into the door frame.

Grabbing the handcuffs from his belt she slaps them around one of his wrists and then drives her knee into his kidney, grabbing a fistful of his hair she slams his head forward into metal frame and lets him slump to the floor unconscious. She whirls around on her heel just in time to drive her knee under the recovering officer's chin sending him flying back to the ground, the back of his head bouncing off of the pavement.

She quickly cuffs the officers wrist to his friend's boot and stands up taking the toothbrush out from between her teeth.

"Man, did you two ever pick the wrong house."

Michael pulls his Obey Tailgator into Trevor's dilapidated lot and Melody sighs, blowing the air from her lungs as she yanks on the door handle and steps out onto the dirt.

"It's not terribly clean... who am I kidding? It's a shit hole but I'm stuck here no reason you can't hide out here."

"More time with you and Trevor that's just what I needed." Michael pulls open the trailer door with a loud creak and the spring slams it shut behind them as Melody drops her duffel bag onto the floor and sweeps off the dirty couch cushion before cautiously sitting.

"Weren't you a soldier?" Michael asks as he watches her grimace at the filthy surroundings.

"Once upon a time."

"So what's wrong with a little dirt?"

"Never served did you Michael? When you fucked up you cleaned the barracks with toothbrushes, you could eat off those floors. Daily laundry, full body inspections, uniform policies, military life is exceptionally clean."

"You must've spent all your time in the woods and such with the training you have-"

"Michael this isn't dirt! It's not bugs and trees and grass its filth! I have a problem with filth not the outdoors where the dirt is supposed to be." Michael shakes his head chuckling to himself as he takes a seat next to her, casually spreading his arms over the back of the couch, making Melody lean forward away from him.

"What are you doing?"

"Will you relax? Jesus I'm just spreading out." Melody glares at him for a moment before she leans back. After a moment she lets her head rest against his arm Michael's hand coming to rest on her shoulder as she moves in closer.

"Trevor!" The door suddenly bursts open as an odd little man rushes in.

"Trevo-oh it's you, and I don't know you."

"Best we keep it that way." Melody says folding her arms across her chest.

"Where's Trevor?"

"Oh I don't know probably out drinking human blood or eating household pets." Melody smirks at Michael's words.

"He's not that bad." Melody arches her eyebrow at Ron.

"Not that bad? Are we all talking about the same person?"

"Well ok, he is pretty bad."

"Uh-yeah?" Melody looks at Ron with a unique combination of "duh" and "seriously?" reflected in her blue eyes.

"But-but he's got a sensitive side." Melody snorts derisively.

"Oh yea I'm sure he does. I'm sure Trevor loves teddy bears and puppies and he squeals at boy bands and double rainbows." She adds as Michael laughs.

"You like that one?"

"That was good, yeah." Melody smiles as she bumps her shoulder against Michael's.

"So Ron, what's your story?" Michael asks as he leans back on the couch and crosses one leg over the other.

"I ain't got a story. I'm an independent thinker."

"Livin' out here away from the Man." He adds as Melody cocks her head quizzically.

"And from what I can tell you're like the high school athlete, livin' off old glories. You used to be able to take the heat but now you worry if your loafers get scuffed while you're runnin' away."

"Were you an athlete in high school?" Melody asks her ponytail swishing behind her as she turns her head.

"No... I was a bit heavy when I was a kid."

"Aw you were a chubby." Melody smirks as she pokes him in the stomach and he pushes her finger away.

"Knock it off, and Ron?" Michael gestures for him to come closer Ron leans in past Melody making her try to shrink into the back of the couch away from him but the couch stubbornly refuses to defy the laws of physics, much to her dismay.

"Anymore bullshit comes out of your mouth and you'll find out about my past glories firsthand you understand?"

"What about her?"

"I wouldn't go there Ron." Ron looks at Melody and moves closer, overshadowing her his face moving to within a foot of her's.

"What's your stor-" Ron's words are suddenly cut off by the pressure of Melody's knife pressed against his groin.

"Now that I have your undivided attention. You are currently occupying my personal space and I would like you to vacate it can you accomplish this task Ron?" Ron nods his eyes wide with fear.

"Can you take the knife out of my balls now?" Melody smiles.

"With pleasure, and brush your teeth. You'll never attract a lady with that breath." Ron stumbles back as he wipes his mouth with his sleeve.

"Well if she's anything like you I'm not sure I want her around." Melody slides the knife back into the lip of her calf high boot.

"That's ok, if she were anything like me she'd want nothing to do with you."

"I just came to remind Trevor that the monthly train is coming through." Melody and Michael both exchange looks as they speak in unison.

"What train?"


	7. Derailed

November 27th, 2013

"The train of dreams, Mikey." Trevor swings open the door as he gestures for the older woman he was with to go first.

"Why Trevor, I never knew you had manners or was the real Trevor abducted by aliens?" Melody asks as Trevor looks up at her and growls.

"What is she doing here?"

"Nevermind her where have you been?" Michael asks as Trevor puts his arm around the older woman.

"Gettin' some fresh air."

"Talking of beautiful things." The woman adds as she pats Trevor on the cheek, Melody folds her arms across her chest and arches her eyebrow before she points at Trevor.

"Beautiful things? With Trevor? Now I know he was abducted."

"Something wrong with it?!" Trevor shouts at her as he approaches her and Melody steps onto her back foot making a smaller target for Trevor, her hand falls to the .45 tucked at the small of her back in the waistline of her cargo pants before Michael steps in between them.

"You watch your mouth girl alright?" Trevor says pointing over Michael's shoulder at her.

"Hey anytime your feeling tired of life you come see me." Trevor growls and tries to push his way past Michael but Michael shoves him back.

"Knock it off the both of you. Trevor tell me about this train." Melody turns her back on them as Patricia Madrazo hums idly cleaning.

"Usted toma paseos con un hombre que te secuestró?" Melody asks as she leans her forearms on the counter the woman shines with a rag and looks at her.

"No es tan malo."

"No es tan malo? Es una locura, que daña a las personas. Usted deshonra a su familia con su comportamiento."

"Puta, no me hable de honor." The elderly woman says, spatting the insult.

"Whore?! Bitch I will-" Melody raises the back of her hand to slap the elderly woman before Michael grabs her wrist.

"Ok I think you've had enough socializing for one day babe." Melody futilely kicks in the air at the woman as Michael pulls her away, both arms now locked around her chest.

"Did you hear what she called me?!"

"I did." Michael physically drags her from the counter the heels of Melody's combat boots making lines in the carpet.

"That woman is rude." Melody says over her shoulder at him as he hauls her away.

"I'm beginning to get that impression." Michael plants her in place between Ron and himself taking hold of both her shoulders and turning her in place to face Trevor. Melody straightens her top and blows some bangs away from her face.

"You two deserve each other Trevor."

"I didn't know you spoke spanish." Melody looks at Michael a smug smirk curling at the corner of her lips.

"There are a lot of things you don't know me about me."

"Really? Well I'd certainly relish the opp-"

"Hello? Can we get back to the topic at hand or do you two want a few minutes to pop into the ol' bedroom back there?"

"Just talk Trevor, what's on this dream train?"

"Gold, my friend." Melody's blue eyes light up.

"How much gold?"

"It's not always gold, sometimes it's art or antiques anything too valuable for air travel."

"And how do we get this priceless find?" Melody rests her hands on her hips.

"The plan's simple, Mikey gets us a boat and you and me take a little off road adventure." She looks at Michael before looking back at Trevor her eyebrow arching quizzically.

Melody guns the dirt bike alongside Trevor's accelerating through traffic, twisting the handle and tucking her boot under the shift lever flicking it up another gear.

"Michael, what's the status on that boat?" Melody's voice echoes in her helmet.

"I'm working on it, are you ok?" Melody grips the brake lever, downshifts, and weaves around a car keeping one eye on Trevor.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"This kind of seat-of-your-pants bullshit is Trevor's thing..."

"I'm fine, Michael."

"I hate to break up the love fest here but this is our off ramp." Trevor accelerates up a steep dirt path dropping in behind the speeding train.

"Trevor, what are you doing?" Melody asks as she guns up the steep path kicking up a cloud of dirt behind her tire.

"Catching a ride!" Trevor catches another steep trail as Melody falls in behind him.

Trevor hits a small hump of dirt and catches air skidding onto the roof of the train the bike loses control and Trevor jumps off of it. The bike tumbles end over end until it careens off of the train flying over Melody's head before impacting and exploding in her wake.

"Jesus christ, Trevor." Melody mumbles as she accelerates towards the rear of the train reaching out she attempts to grab the railing but misses.

Braking she narrowly dodges a boulder and moves back to the railing reaching out she manages to get one gloved hand around it before the bike goes tumbling away beneath her. Clutching the railing she grips her wrist with her other hand her boots skidding and kicking off the gravel as she lifts herself up.

She drops onto the metal platform at the rear car of the train and climbs onto the railing swinging herself out and grabbing the roof with both hands, kicking off the railing she nimbly flips herself onto the roof. Landing half crouched, she spies Trevor only three cars away.

Melody unbuckles her helmet and lets it go flying in the wind. Dropping her amber lensed aviators back over her eyes her copper hair whips in the wind as she works her way up the train easily jumping the small gap between the cars. She follows Trevor until he jumps down onto the locomotive and barges into the cabin.

Trevor walks up to the conductor and slams his head into the console. The man falls to the ground and Trevor stomps on his head repeatedly.

"Trevor!" Melody shouts as she makes her way into the cabin.

"I think he's no longer a threat. Where's this cargo?" She picks up a manifest on a clipboard and begins flipping through it.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Trevor touches his headset.

"Michael, are you ready with that boat yet?"

"Almost."

"Step on it Michael." Melody says as she looks at the manifest, Trevor turns to the controls and pushes the throttle forward using a switch on the console to switch the tracks.

"Where's the cargo Trevor?"

"I told you I don't know. Sorry we've been diverted!" He shouts out of the open window at no one in particular before blowing the train whistle.

"And how do you intend to find it?"

"In the wreckage, of course."

"In the wreck-" Trevor points to the train coming out of the tunnel towards them as the train comes onto a narrow bridge.

"You're insane, do you realize we're on this train?!"

"All we gotta do is jump." Trevor kicks open the door of the cabin and walks out into the open.

"Oh is that all? What a bloody inspired plan that is!"

"It's either that or die! Sayonara sister!" Trevor yells waving at her before he jumps.

Melody rushes through the door and to the railing looking down at the waters below then looks to her right at the train barreling down on her.

"Goddammit Trevor." Melody climbs onto the railing of the speeding locomotive the wind whipping her copper ringlets around her before she forces her legs to leap as far as they can, feeling her body go weightless as the trains collide.

A touch of panic overwhelms her for a brief moment before old training and muscle memory kicks in and she instinctively spreads her arms her spine straightening and her feet coming together. The wind rushes past her as she sails through the air just before she brings her hands forward and uncurls her fists straightening her fingers.

"Melody!" Michael screams, he grips the windshield of the little Dinghy as he watches her careen towards the choppy waters below several train cars only meters behind her.

Melody pierces the water like a missile, a thousand tiny needles stab her body as she arcs her arms her momentum swinging her upwards and swims towards the surface. Pausing, she lets a half dozen train cars slam into the water around her before she surfaces. Her head breaks water as she flips her wet hair behind her hearing the low rumble of Michael's boat coming closer as he makes his way over to her.

"Oh thank christ, I thought you were dead." Michael takes her hand and helps her into the boat Melody collapsing against the rubber side coughing and sputtering water.

"What the ever loving fuck just happened?" Both of their heads turn at the sound of a large explosion.

"Trevor tried to kill me that's what happened." Melody pulls her knees to her chest as she tugs open a pocket on her cargo pants taking out her cell phone, finding it water soaked and useless she carelessly tosses it into the water. Trevor appears, swimming away from the cargo containers not far from the boat his arms thrown in the air a watertight case clutched in one hand.

"Whoo! That'll wake you up! Better than coffee." Melody grabs Trevor with two fistfuls of his shirt and physically hauls him into the boat. Locking her knees on either side of his midsection a trail of water follows her hand as she snatches the knife from the small of her back and raises it above her head.

"MJ!" Michael says his hands outstretched in front of him but too far to stop her.

"You son of a bitch." Melody growls.

"Sister if you're going to stay on top of me either kill me or let's finally twist those bed sheets."

"Melody...don't. Merryweather will be here soon." Michael moves closer to her and rests his hand on her wrist. Melody slowly sheaths the knife and moves off of Trevor dropping into the seat beside Michael's as he slips behind the wheel. Melody slides her aviators over her eyes and folds her arms, letting her eyes drift closed.

Two years ago...

14 February, 2011 0232 hrs  
Somewhere in the Mountains of Afghanistan.

The sound of the rifle thunders through the still night as Melody looks over her scope her breath condensing and wafting around the tight space of the cover she laid beneath, now covered in snow. Her voice comes through the radio, calm and steady.

"Go."

She focuses on the makeshift building just in time to see her team blow the door off with a shaped charge followed by the sudden burst of light and audible pop of a flashbang as she blinks looking down the starlight scope. The sounds of weapons fire echo in the air as she makes a quick notation in her data book and drops her finger back onto the trigger.

She focuses on one corner of the roof and sees a sentry readying a weapon pointed at the door as her team breeches and clears working their way to the roof. The rifle bucks against her shoulder as the sentry tumbles over the edge and falls to the ground.

"Problem?" A voice comes over the radio in her earpiece.

"Negative."

From out of her scope view a sudden flash appears, a streak of light sails towards the building as Melody presses her transmitter.

"RPG!" The rocket propelled grenade impacts the side of the building and blows out one of the walls of the ramshackle structure, the flash of the explosion reflecting in her night scope making her shy away and blink.

She forces herself to tuck the stock back against her shoulder as she pivots the rifle searching for the source as a sudden explosion several dozen meters away makes her cover her head. The sounds of trees cracking and falling into the snow fills the air as another mortar round hits to her right instead this time showering her cover with falling dirt.

"I've got mortar fire." Another RPG streaks through the night and hits the building.

"Charlie team, respond." She blinks searching the building for any sign of her team as another RPG impacts the building, tracking back the streak she spies two targets on a nearby ridge preparing to reload. She pulls the trigger the rifle bucking as she pivots a few degrees and fires again, the last man falling onto the corpse of his dead friend.

"Charlie team. Paris? Monroe? Anyone respond." No more mortar rounds.

The sounds of boots crunching in the snow near her makes her hold her breath. Moving very slowly she reaches to the drop leg holster strapped to her thigh wincing as she pops the snap, two pairs of boots moving past her. She adjusts herself gripping the cover in one hand and her pistol in the other, taking a slow deep breath.

In a fluid motion she whips off the cover coming to rest on one knee as she empties six rounds into the nearest man. The second whirls on his heel and levels his rifle as Melody pulls the knife from along the small of her back and sends it spinning through the air, the blade digging into the soldier's chest as he tumbles back falling into the snow.

Rising to both feet Melody puts two rounds between his eyes as she takes a couple of steps towards him. Taking a knee she yanks the bloody knife out of his chest and sheaths it, her blue eyes searching the dark woods. The sounds of hurrying boots approach as Melody quietly sprints behind a nearby tree, throwing her back against it.

"Where is he?" One asks the other in Pashto.

She slowly leans around to see three men examining her nest, one was holding her rifle while another flipped through her data book ignoring their fallen comrades. Melody quietly drops the clip from her Sig Sauer and pulls a fresh one from a pocket of her ACU pants.

"Are they dead? Go check." She grips the slide in her gloved hand and hits the release slowly letting the slide close, a round slipping into the chamber. One of the group walks up to his dead comrades stepping right into view of her behind the tree, all he had to do was look to his left.

And he did.

Melody rushes from behind the tree, pulling her knife she ducks under the swing of the man's rifle butt coming up behind him she slits his throat, her pistol coming up in her right hand under his arm as she cradles his body her left arm across his chest.

The two men turn and fire into their friend's corpse as she pumps five rounds into one, letting the human shield drop into the snow she brings her off hand to her pistol and shoots the remaining soldier, twice in the heart and one between the eyes.

Panting her eyes flick back and forth searching for anyone else. She jogs over to her rifle and stuffs her data book into her jacket, she slips the sling over her neck holding the stock against her hip she pauses for one last look at the ruined building at the base of the valley.

"Charlie team, respond."

Hesitating for a moment, Melody backpedals a few steps then turns and takes off sprinting into the freezing night... the red Merryweather patch on her arm gleaming in the moonlight.


	8. Like the Hand of God

Six months ago...

May 19th, 2013

Lester walks into Los Santos Customs past several high end cars, the sounds of air wrenches and machinery filling the air. He stops and asks someone a question and the mechanic points at a blue Gauntlet with sparks coming from the undercarriage. A pair of desert tan combat boots and cargo pants sticking out from under it.

"Excuse me?"

"Office is out front." A muffled voice comes from under the car.

"I'm looking for Melody Jayne." The sparks stop as she slides out from under the car and flips up the face shield, Lester blinks as he looks at the beautiful young woman.

"And who's doing the looking?"

"My name's Lester." Melody gets to her feet dropping her gloves onto the counter.

"Ok Lester, you found me. What do you want?"

"To hire you."

"You got a car bring it in, you don't need to hire me for that."

"Hao tells me that you have some uh unique qualifications that I would very much like to exploit." Melody looks him up and down then dumps the face shield on top of her gloves.

"You got the wrong person."

"I don't think I do, I can assure you that it will be worth your time." Lester says as he leans on his cane. Melody sighs, blowing the air from her lungs as she rests her palms flat on the countertop.

"You eat?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you eat?" She repeats turning and leaning back against the counter folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes." Melody nods then wipes her hands off with a rag from her back pocket.

"There's a little pizza joint just down the block, Anazzio's. I get off at six." She tosses the rag onto the counter and brushes past him.

The bell above the door dings as Lester hobbles in, turning in place he spies Melody occupying a corner booth, legs stretched out onto the seat ankles crossed with her back to the wall, idly chewing a slice of pizza as she flips through a magazine.

"So you were a soldier?" Melody looks up as Lester sits down across from her, she pauses mid chew looking at him before resuming her chewing and going back to her magazine.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well cops are control freaks, they pick a seat where they can see entrances, exits, and everyone around them usually at the bar or the nearest tall stool they like to look down on people. Now soldiers, soldiers anticipate cover they don't care so much for what's around them so much as where they are when shit starts hitting the fan." Melody nods, not looking up from her magazine tearing off another bite of the slice folded in two between her thumb and index finger.

"Interesting observation."

"What about you? Not much of an observer are we?" Melody's blue eyes look up from her magazine at Lester, then momentarily to the right at the rest of the little dive before going back to her magazine.

"Couple in the other corner booth are having an affair, guy in the grey cap at three o' clock deals meth gun at the small of his back but the drugs are in that nasty maroon truck out there, eleven o' clock closest booth to us brunette just had twins." Lester looks at the people around the dimly lit restaurant and nods.

"I hadn't spotted the affair." Melody picks something from her teeth and flips another page in the magazine.

"Wedding rings, his is gold her's is silver."

"And the meth dealer?"

"He didn't shower after he finished playing with his chemistry set."

"Not bad."

"Not great either." Melody looks up briefly as the bell rings again she looks over the man who enters then goes back to her magazine.

"So is it true what Hao says about you?" Melody leans up picking another slice off of the silver tray.

"Depends on what he said and how high he was when he said it." Lester chuckles.

"He says you were someone who can get things done." Melody chews for a long moment before she nods and swallows.

"I've been known to."

"I have a problem that requires a creative solution, there's a man named Brett Lowery-"

"The CEO of Bilkington Pharmaceuticals."

"Correct."

"Why?" Melody asks tipping her magazine closed and taking a sip from the straw in her drink.

"What?"

"Why do you want him dead?" Lester looks around.

"What kind of hitman are you?"

"I'm not. Which is the reason I ask "Why does Brett Lowery, CEO of Bilkington Pharmaceuticals, deserve to die?"."

"Because he's an asshole." Melody leans back against the cement block wall and shrugs.

"A lot of people are assholes." Lester sighs.

"Ever heard of Mollis?"

"Erectile Dysfunction drug."

"Well there's a new drug on the market-"

"Priopal."

"And-"

"And an unusually high number of users of said drug have fallen victim to rather unpleasant myocardial infarcts."

"You are remarkably well informed." Melody holds up her magazine.

"I read, and I have a brain. So let me fill in the rest of the blanks here. Mr. Big Time CEO paid off everyone under the sun from Congress to the FDA to make sure his drug either got pushed through to the market or so it didn't get pulled from the market and you want him dead because people are dying and he's well, an asshole."

"Yes." Melody picks up her slice again and takes a bite chewing thoughtfully before she nods.

"This I can do."

"Good. Just out of curiosity, if you had already put this all together why haven't you done this yourself?" Melody pauses mid chew then swallows looking at Lester.

"Do I look like Batman to you? Someone like you wants to pay me, fine, but I'm not exactly going out of my way to rid the world of evil. Where and when?" Lester slides a piece of paper across the wood table at her.

"I'll contact you when the job is done for your payment." Melody nods as she goes back to her magazine tucking the slip of paper in between two of the pages and taking another bite of her pizza.

"I want to know why this is taking so long!" Brett yells at his personal assistant as he paces the floor of his hotel room on the twenty fourth floor.

"Brett it's Sunday things always take time on the weekends. How about I make you a drink and we go over those projections again before the meeting ok?" She asks as she touches his arm. Brett sighs and rubs his eyes.

"Yeah, all right all right fine. Make it a double huh?" The young woman walks out of the room and over to the bar mixing Brett's drink and turns when she hears an audible plinking sound and a thud. Walking curiously into the room she drops the drink onto the carpet and screams looking at Brett's vacant eyes, the side of his head blown out and a pool of blood forming on the clean white carpeting.

Melody grunts as she turns the big conference table back to its original position parallel to the big glass windows, slings her rifle bag over one shoulder, flicks off the lights to the empty conference room with one gloved finger and casually closes the door behind her.


	9. Portola Drive

Three months ago...

August 2nd, 2013

"Oh, Michael." Melody gasps as she runs her fingers through his hair, sliding down his back her legs circling his waist as he fucks her.

Michael was on Cloud Nine, Melody was beautiful and her body was perfection. She was so wet, so warm, and she smelled like vanilla and jasmine. He had been looking forward to this all day sitting around the pool listening to his family bitch and whine, things with her were so simple, so good.

"Shit." She manages softly between whimpers.

Michael takes ahold of her and flips her onto her toned stomach pushing his hard cock back inside of her slowly, making Melody gasp and smile gripping a fistful of the expensive sheets on her bed. Michael takes her hips in his hands and lifts her ass into the air as he works his thick cock in and out of her.

"Fuck... Michael harder." Melody begs biting her lower lip as he complies and makes her moan louder, flicking her shimmering copper ringlets to one side and looking back at him.

Michael gazes into those intoxicating blue eyes running his hand up Melody's back as she arches her spine and his fingers slide through her silky locks. He pulls her head back making Melody laugh, flashing that perfect and pretty smile he loved so much. He loved her warm skin, and the way she begged him for him more. He grunts as he buries himself inside of her his fingers digging into her hips as he feels himself beginning to lose control.

"God, baby that's it." Melody moans out as she falls forward onto her breasts her face in her soft pillow, both fists gripping the sheets as Michael pounds into her, she feels his hand on her shoulder as he pushes as deep as he can go, grunting.

She whimpers when she feels the warm sensation of Michael's cum suddenly filling her as he collapses on top of her panting, the fingers of each of their hands interlacing as she moans softly at the feel of his hot breath in her hair and on her neck. Michael's lips brush her bare shoulder as she turns in his arms and moves closer to him, he could feel her heart pounding as he envelops her in his arms.

"Ignore it." Melody manages softly as Michael's phone starts ringing on her bedside table, Michael moves a little reaching out for it looking at the caller.

"My wife."

"Then definitely ignore it."

Melody slips out of bed ruffling her hair as Michael watches her body disappear into her bathroom, the shower coming on. Michael pulls on his boxers and lays back in her soft bed looking around the room. Her bedroom was painted a soft light blue, all of her tables were glass topped and woven steel frames. Her headboard, footboard and the rest of the furniture was all a rich cream color.

"I love what you done with the new place." Melody pops her head around the doorframe, tieing up her hair.

"Thank Lester, I do love it."

"Tell me about this jewelry store."

"I've been seeing this sweet little thing works the counter..." Melody calls out as she steps into the glass shower and under the raindrop shower head. Michael sits up at her words, cocking his head quizzically.

"You've been-"

"Michael, you really don't think our little interludes are enough to keep a girl like me occupied do you?"

"Anyways..."

"Right so, she works the counter and I am pretty sure that a surprise visit from her girlfriend will warrant a very informative tour."

"That's not a bad idea."

"Where is it?"

"On Portola."

"Very high end."

"My thoughts exactly."

"What were you thinking?" Melody steps into view wrapping her lithe and toned frame in a towel ruffling her damp copper hair, padding barefoot out of the bathroom, Michael staring at her. She climbs up onto his lap and sits back circling her arms over his shoulders, those blue eyes twinkling in the setting sun coming in through the window.

"Me, you, a couple of copied keycards a big ass shape charge..." Michael smiles as he kisses her full lips.

"So to be determined then?" Melody sighs slapping his chest.

"Why can't we just do this on our own?"

"Lester's going to have to move the product so there's a cut right there we'll need a third probably Franklin-" Melody pouts then slides off of his lap and walks into her closet.

August 4th, 2013

Melody's heel clicks echo on the marble floor of the big jewelry store as she slides off her aviators and thanks the doorman for letting her in. She looks over some of the cases as she walks past a man discussing an engagement ring with a sales rep and smirks when he looks her over in her tight thigh length black dress. The pretty brunette at the counter looks up and smiles.

"Melody, what are you doing here?" Sarah comes out of the booth like clerk's counter and hugs her.

"Just thought I'd stop by, see the place you leave me for everyday." She smiles and nudges Sarah with her elbow.

"Oh well, it's a slow day stay please, I'll show you around."

"That sounds fun." Sarah hooks her arm into Melody's and walks her into the back.

"So this is the room where we audit the gems and jewels, do the odd repair or two, refitting..." Melody looks around, nodding.

"And this of course is the vault." Melody follows behind her as Sarah walks into the open vault door.

"Wow, look at all this." Melody says smiling as Sarah pulls her closer and into a soft kiss that she gladly returns. Sarah lets out a soft whimper as their tongues meet just before they slowly pull apart their fingers interlacing.

"I'm glad you came it was a very nice surprise."

"Well, I aim to please." Sarah walks in front of her to lead her out of the vault and Melody siezes the opportunity. She locks her hand around Sarah's mouth from behind, her other arm snaking around her neck and flexing, cutting off the blood flow to her brain.

"I'm sorry about this." She whispers in Sarah's ear before she lets her unconscious body slide quietly to the ground. Dropping her purse onto the table she opens it, pulling out her desert tan automatic pistol she checks the extended clip and tucks it under one arm, slipping her headset into her ear.

"I'm in." She sets several silver gas grenades onto the tabletop and leans to the side making sure no one was coming.

"Do it." Michael's voice comes over the earpiece. Melody picks up the three canisters and walks out of the vault and to the door of the back room, hooking her thumbs into two of the pins she pulls the third with her teeth and lobs them out into the store.

"Go."

Michael and Franklin burst in the doors, Franklin giving the doorman his rifle butt to the face as Michael hurries past the three people trying to breathe and see in the tear gas, barging his way to the back room. He drops a pair of boots onto the ground and hands Melody a gas mask, she steps into the boots and tugs the mask over her face.

"I've got the vault, you get the cases." He hands her a duffel bag and a window punch.

Melody steps over the only store patron as he writhes and coughs on the ground, walking to the counter using the punch to shatter the four cases surrounding the clerk's counter and begins stuffing the jewelry into the duffel.

"How we doing F?" Michael's voice echoes in her ear, somewhat muffled by the gas masks.

"No cops yet but the gas is starting to leak onto the street, won't be long now." Melody's head turns to the back room at the single shot that echoes from it, she blinks stopping her raid for a moment knowing exactly what Michael just did.

"I need thirty seconds." Melody adds as she punches another case and starts sweeping the jewels into her bag.

"Vault's empty." Michael says as he exits the room and uses his rifle butt to smash the nearest display case. Melody punches the last case nearest the door and dumps a tray of rings into it.

"I'm clear." Franklin pushes open the glass door a cloud of billowing white gas following in his wake as Michael goes out ahead of Melody and on her way out she, almost casually, puts a bullet between the eyes of the doorman who had let her in.

Melody dumps the duffel bag into the open window of the stolen black 9F and slips behind the wheel, shifting and slamming the pedal she leaves rubber on the laid stone pavement of Portola drive.

The sun was just beginning to set when she pulled in behind Michael and Franklin pushing their stolen car off of the bluff just off of Senora Highway and into the sea. She slows the car and gets out dropping the duffel bag onto the ground.

"Hey, babe." Michael walks up to Melody who clenches her fist and decks him with a right hook that knocks him to the ground.

"You didn't have to kill her!" She yells at him as Franklin takes two steps forward until Melody fixes her fiery blue eyes on him and he stops holding up his hands. Michael groans and touches the blood coming from his lip, putting his hand on one knee and pushing himself to his feet.

"I seem to recall you dropping a body of your own on your way out!"

"She wouldn't have told anyone or I would've killed her myself!"

"And how do I know that?!"

"You think I'd let you go to jail?! Or Franklin?! Or me?!" Melody picks up the bag and shoves it into Michael's chest hard enough to make him stumble back a step.

"Call me when you have my fucking money." She turns on her heel and starts walking up the dirt path back to the main road.

"Yeah, I'll do that! It's all you care about anyway!" Melody doesn't look back to respond as she marches up the hill and mutters under her breath.

"Damn right it is."


	10. Someone to Watch Over Me

December 1st, 2013 0135 hrs

Melody opens her eyes as her phone beeps quietly on the bedside table. She untangles herself from the arms of the brunette snuggled up against her, the girl making a soft sound in her sleep. Melody blinks in the sudden bright light of her phone squinting at the text message. Michael.

Need to see you. I'm downstairs.

Melody sits up on her elbow, brushes her hair away from her face and unlocks her phone bringing up the keyboard.

On my way.

She slides out of bed, the girl mumbling something as her hand falls from Melody's hip. Melody slips a black silk robe over her naked body and brushes some bangs behind one ear as she slides her fingers around her key ring and pads barefoot to the elevator. She folds her arms across her chest and yawns as it dings and she steps inside.

Spreading her arms across the handrail along the back of the elevator car she watches the floors slowly beep their way by until the doors part and she hurries through the lobby past the night doorman.

"Evening Ms. Jayne." She smiles politely.

"Hey Harold, easy night?"

"Can't complain."

"How's your wife?"

"Very well thank you, I'll tell her you asked."

"Just left something in my car, leave a light on for me?" He nods as he opens the glass door.

"For you, always." She folds her arms across her chest and steps out into the mildly cool air and breeze, hurrying across the parking lot to Michael's black Obey and pulls open the passenger door sliding in.

"Hey."

"It's one in the morning Michael, what do you want?"

"I need your help."

"Because that's something new and unexpected." Michael sighs, looking over the brightly lit city.

"Could you for once just be...the opposite of whatever it is you are?"

"Well, I like to think I defy labels so..."

"No it's just that cunt isn't strong enough a word for you." Melody smiles and brushes her loose bangs behind one ear.

"All right Michael I'm listening."

"I'm in trouble-"

"Again I'm shocked."

"MJ!"

"Ok, ok, what's going on?"

"There's a man with the FIB, his name is Haines. He's been setting us up for this job, this heist on a chemical weapons factory."

"Well that does sound exciting."

"Yeah, it's a bag full of rainbows and unicorns."

"What's wrong with unicorns?"

"Melody..."

"So where do I come in on this?"

"I've got a bad feeling about all of this and-and I...need someone I know I can trust."

"So take Franklin."

"Franklin's already on it. I need someone who puts my mind at ease ok?" Melody sits back in the seat and sighs.

"Michael you know what I'm going to say next."

"What's in it for you?" She nods.

"I love you Mike but love don't pay the bills." Michael looks at her.

"Easy cowboy, it's just an expression." He looks her over, her copper hair tossed from sleep and sex and her full lips, her nearly exposed breasts the robe barely coming to mid thigh, and those long bare legs. He wanted to kiss her so badly in that moment and would've tried if he didn't know just how easily she could kill him with her bare hands.

"I can scrape together some kind of payment-" Melody touches his arm, shaking her head.

"It's on the house, ok?" He looks up into her blue eyes, resting his hand on top of hers.

"Thank you." There's a moment of silence before Melody pulls her hand back and clears her throat flicking her mane of red hair behind one shoulder.

"Where and when?"

"Two hours, a boat dock off of Catfish View in the San Chianski Mountain Range." Michael reaches into the backseat and hauls a duffel bag forward.

"Your cut of the jewelry store, 1.4 mil you can count it if you want." Melody looks at the heavy bag and shakes her head.

"I trust you." Melody leans in and kisses him on the cheek pushing the door open and stepping back out into the night air.

The black and white Gauntlet growls as Melody speeds up the darkened east coast highway, she drops her hand onto the simple shifter and presses the clutch throwing the car into fourth, taking a sip of the coffee from her ceramic travel mug.

"_...how can I get a grip when I lost my main squeeze? Now I'm stuck..._"

Melody turns the volume down a little as she tucks her knee under the steering wheel and slides the blunt from behind her left ear slipping it between her lips. Flicking open an old beaten up carbon black Zippo lighter she puffs it to life and rolls down the window, pausing to shift before she rests her hand back on the wheel.

"._..I guess I'll smoke my last stuck wonderin' what I should do. Find me where you left me burnin' in the smoking section._.."

She takes another sip of her coffee before she exhales the cloud of smoke. Her GPS beeps, telling her that her right turn was coming up as she downshifts and takes a sharp turn down the long, dark road.

"Hey, what's up?" Michael turns from staring out at the sea in thought as Franklin walks up.

"Hey."

"She comin'?"

"Said she was." Franklin leans against an old oil drum as he turns looking out at the sea.

"Good, I feel better already...heard from your family?"

"Nah, but to be honest I haven't really been thinking about them much. Been...distracted, I guess."

"What's the deal with you two man?" Franklin asks breaking the long moment of silence that follows, Michael just shrugs shaking his head.

"I don't know F, one minute she's laughing with me talking with me, the next she's-"

"A hard charging for-hire soldier who could kill us all before we could blink?"

"I was gunna say bitch but yeah that too..." Franklin shakes his head and chuckles.

"I can't say as I mind, long as she's on our side. What's she really like M, I mean when it's just ya'll?"

"She's incredible Franklin, under all that...attitude..."

"She's the same militant cunt we all know and love." Trevor adds as he walks up to the dock.

"Trevor, I'd hate to have to start my day by cutting out your tongue." Melody says dropping her gear bag onto the packed dirt ground as they all turn watching her take a sip of her coffee.

"How you doin' girl?" Franklin walks up and hugs her.

"I'm ok."

"Michael."

"MJ." Michael turns away, making Melody roll her eyes.

"Oh look! Boys, it's your boys the Feds!" Melody turns as a tall man in an FIB jacket walks up to them.

"Hey! Where's the other two?"

"What other two?" Michael asks as he looks around.

"I told you this was a six man job."

"Well Michael brought his girlfriend and she's at least a man and a half so..." Trevor comments as he kicks an empty can into the sea.

"I'm not quite sure that's insulting me so much as it's an insult to you Trevor." Melody folds her arms as she leans against the rusty oil barrel beside Franklin.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Haines asks, as he walks onto the wooden dock Melody doesn't respond.

"So four guys not six, we callin' it a night? Let's go guys." Michael nods over his shoulder.

"Ah ah ah ah ah, no. You four can do it alone."

"And get ourselves killed? Fuck you." Michael says shoving his finger in Haines' direction.

"Just do the job we hired you for."

"And what's your job?"

"I'm doing my job right now like I do everyday, protecting the country from scum like you."

"Call me scum again and we'll see just how capable you are at your job." Melody looks to her left at Steve Haines.

"Well then come with us! Come on boys! Let's go save Ameri-"

"Shut up Trevor." Melody says over her shoulder at him before looking back at Haines.

"What exactly is this job?"

"This is the real deal little lady..." Michael and Franklin wince at the words as Melody pushes herself off of the barrel.

"I-I wouldn't call her that." Michael says putting his hand on Melody's toned stomach and gently pushing her back against the oil drum.

"What is this the third grade? I'm not afraid of her." Melody pushes past Michael who puts his head in his hand and shakes it from side to side.

"I tried."

"What? You gunna kiss me litt-" Melody jams the heel of her boot into the bend of Steve's right knee making him cry out as he falls onto it and grabs a fistful of his hair driving her right fist into his cheek making him fall to the side onto his hands. Melody walks around in front of him and crouches down on her haunches tilting Steve's chin up to look at her.

"Call me little lady one more time, I'll break your neck and toss you in the sea. Got that, Steve?" She pulls him to his feet as he looks at her rubbing the side of his face.

"Melody Jayne."

"I'm glad to see I still leave a lasting impression, First Sergeant. Nice to know you're still the same misogynistic prick you were when you served."

"How in the hell did you end up here? With them? The Bureau would've snatched you right up...if everyone didn't think you were dead."

"Crime pays better."

"You know this ass hat?" Michael asks coming up behind her.

"We were at the same FOB in Afghanistan."

"You were in Afghanistan?"

"Except I was in the actual military and she was servi-" Melody drags her thumb across her throat, shaking her head at Haines.

"I told you Michael there's a lot you don't know about me." Melody tosses her bag into the boat and climbs in.

"I'm beginning to get that impression."


	11. The Thanks of a Grateful Nation

The boat skips off the water as Melody sits in the back corner of the boat, her back against one rubber side her legs extended to the other examining her air tank with a well-practiced eye. She takes a breath from it, smacking her lips then altering the mix before turning the knob on the double tank rig. Michael had to admit she looked perfectly at home in the spray of the sea and wild tossing of the military designed rigid hulled inflatable boat.

She unzips her gear bag and hefts the Atchinsson Assault Shotgun. The AA-12 was a fully automatic twelve gauge shotgun capable of firing up to three hundred rounds per minute. The modified gas operated cylinder with a locked breech and its mostly stainless steel construction made it perfect for bringing lightweight but heavy fire to a wet environment.

"Whoa whoa whoa there." Haines says as he watches her push the thirty two round cyclical drum magazine into the receiver.

"What?" He looks at the big desert tan weapon in her hands.

"I'd like to keep this mission as stealthy as possible. This is International Affairs we're dealing with here, not some backwater sand monkeys." Melody sighs and reaches into the bag threading a suppressor to the end of the barrel. She lengthens the sling attached to it so it hung low under her left arm belting a bungee cord around it and her waist to keep it flush to her side. She then pulls the neoprene hood over her head zipping it into her dive suit.

"You ok with this?" Michael asks, he watches her as the boat sputters its way slowly into the inlet. Melody looks up at him before she slips her knife into the sheath belted to her left thigh, dropping the clip from her .45 she slaps it against the frame shoving it home, yanking the slide and she holsters it at her right thigh.

"Are you?"

"Mike, relax, she's done this at least once more than you. There's a discharge tunnel leading into the factory, I know the way so just stay on me." Everyone pulls on their full face dive masks.

"Comm check?" Melody holds up her thumb.

Everyone takes a seat on the side of the boat and Melody crosses her arms across her chest one hand on her mask as she tips backwards and splashes into the water. She nimbly rolls over and swims down coming into formation behind the rest, igniting an underwater flare she drops it directly below the boat.

In the six or seven years since Basic Underwater Dive she had forgotten how peaceful this was, watching the undersea plants sway with the current the fish swimming past her, the steady hiss of her breathing as she follows the group to the discharge tunnel. Following them down they come to a large metal grate.

"Jayne?" Haines voice echoes in her earpiece.

"Yeah I'm on it." Melody unhooks a small bag looped to her belt and retrieves the underwater cutting torch. The little hand Oxy-fuel torch was not the best tool for this job, but it was what Haines had given her to do it.

A hyperbaric job like this in a more professional environment would typically employ a shielded arc welder using a waterproof electrode, although Agent Haines was correct she had done this at least once more than Michael with this exact tool. She ignites the torch and floats closer to the grate biting her tongue to one cheek as she slowly works her way through the rusted metal. Taking her time she goes from bar to bar to bar, the sparks lighting up her workspace each one encased in its own little bubble of air.

"Let's hurry this up."

"Haines when's the last time you even used one of these? Shut up and let me work."

"Can't you go faster? That fuel's not going to last forever." Melody drifts down to the floor of the tube as she works her way over to the lower right corner of the grate leaving long scars of glowing red metal in her wake. She burns her way back up the right side and plants both her gloved hands on the grate giving it a shove forward, the grate screeches and drifts down onto the floor of the tube.

"Ok we swim up the tunnel to the access shaft." Michael drops a flare in their wake as Melody swims ahead of him.

Melody flips on her dive light holding it in one hand as she swims through the ominously dark tunnel, her eyes wandering over the plant life growing from the walls and floors ducking under a rusted fan. They swim in silence making it all the more eerie as she narrowly avoids another functionless rusted turbine blade.

Ahead the tunnel opens up and Melody kills her light, kicking her way to the surface. Her head breaks the water like a knife through butter not making a sound as she looks around and spies a ladder, hauling herself up it.

Michael exhales in the fresh air as he yanks the mask off, Melody takes a knee shrugging her air tanks from her shoulders. She takes a nylon roll from between her air tanks and unfurls the simple nylon backpack, stuffing her dive light, hood and gloves into it. She unbelts her flippers from her dive boots and tightens the laces, dropping the flippers into the bag and hoisting it onto her shoulders adjusting the shotgun over the bag.

"Jayne, MOPP Four." Melody nods and unloops another bag from her belt pulling a full face gas mask over her dripping red hair.

"MOPP?" Michael looks at her as he follows her lead looking down at the gas mask Haines had given him.

"Military Oriented Protective Posture, it means put the damn mask on. And these." Melody tosses him a pair of black latex gloves as she pulls her own over her fingers.

"I have to say, it's nice working with someone who knows their job."

"Shut up Haines." Melody says as she pushes herself to her feet and approaches the door, peeking through the glass she signals with one finger.

"Michael you're up set phasers to stun." Haines hands him a taser gun and Melody wraps her gloved hand around the handle, holding up three fingers. Three...two...one. She pushes open the door and Michael tases the scientist who falls to the ground, Melody draws the silenced .45 as they jog along the corridor Michael quickly tasing a janitor who comes around the corner, he slides down the wall as they quietly jog past him and to the elevator.

"Someone's coming down." Michael steps in front of the elevator doors and tases the scientist as the doors part Melody steps past him stooping to grab the access card he dropped from his hand. She cross the threshold into the elevator and slides the card through the reader hitting the button for the next floor.

"How you feelin' kid?" Melody looks sideways at Haines.

"I'll manage."

"I'm feelin' pretty damn fine."

"Yeah I bet you are, surprised you don't have a hard on." The doors part as Melody raises her weapon.

"To the right, move. See the lab? I don't want trouble from the geeks. Michael pop them." Michael rounds the corner just steps behind Melody as she nimbly sprints in perfect silence past the door throwing her back against the wall. Leaning over she looks in briefly then nods to him. Michael steps in and fires two bolts in quick succession.

"Corridor goes left." Melody follows just behind Haines gripping her gun in both hands as they jump the three steps down and jog through the corridor, up three more steps and through a set of double doors.

"Security details about to make a pass, behind this wall here." Melody ducks to the corner and tightens her grip on her .45 as she hears footsteps approaching.

"Judgement call." Haines hisses in her earpiece before Melody slashes her hand across her throat, the door behind her opening as two men walk out.

"It gets worse by the day."

"So just clean the damn thing."

"But then how would it taste? At least I can rely on getting shittier and shittier coffee."

"Dude you are unbeliev-" Their voices drift off as the second door swings closed behind them.

"Clear." Melody says as she ducks through the doorway the guards came from, jogging past a decontamination shower she pauses with the card above a swipe reader, looking back for them to get into position.

"You're awful quiet Dave."

"Don't worry about me Haines."

"Do it." Melody swipes the card and pushes through the door levelling her handgun as she hurries through the hallway.

"This is it, the lab rat should have it in there. Jayne, do it." Melody raises her gun pointed through the glass at the scientist.

"Door. Now." She looks at him her eyes flicking to the door as he holds up his hands and nods.

"Slowly!" The scientist walks over to the door and opens the lock with his card.

"Jayne, go grab the special sauce."

"No I will." Michael pushes past her and through the door.

Michael approaches the counter and sets the taser down on it twisting the lid on the glass container.

"This'll make me the most dangerous man in the country." Michael says as he gingerly lifts the cradle out and takes the bottle of toxin, Melody looking back at him at his words, still holding her gun on the scientist.

"We have to get this into a refrigeration unit now. Michael put this guy down." Michael tucks the bottle into his diving suit before he quickly tases the scientist. Above their heads a loudspeaker clicks to life as a voice comes over it.

"Facility security has been compromised. Warning, warning," A klaxon begins blaring as Melody holsters her.45 and pulls the shotgun from around her neck hurrying over to the nearest door she leans around the corner as two guards run towards them. She steps out from the corner and fires twice the shotgun recoiling a little in her hands as it lets out two softened pops of suppressed fire.

Melody rushes down the corridor lit by the flashlights on the end of Haines and Neilson's guns as she throws her back to a corner and looks at the glass of a door in front of her reflecting the three guard's at the base of the steps around the corner.

She blindly shoots around the corner hitting the first two before ducking around it and putting the third one down with another twelve gauge slug that tears through his face and blows his brains all over the floor as he crumbles to it. Sprinting down the corridor with Neilson and Michael close on her heels, her blue eys reflecting the rotating red warning stobe lights.

The group runs through a laboratory filled with monkey cages and lab rats Melody skidding against a corner and leaning out to shoot another two guards. Dropping the drum clip to the floor she pulls a second from the large bag looped to her belt behind her knife. She yanks the charge lever and rounds the corner behind Haines as they come to a door.

"Last door!" He says as Melody fires twice into the lock and Haines puts his foot through it.

"They should have sent reinforcements by now!" Norton shouts as they round another corner jogging down a long corridor.

"The Military? Great."

"No Jayne's old chums from Merryweather." Melody skids on her padded knees behind a large crate dropping her shotgun barrel onto it as she fires at three guards rushing around the corner.

"Her what?!"

"Let's talk about this later Michael!" Melody shouts as she pushes her way from cover and fires running to the next crate just as the one she was at gets riddled with bullet holes. They sprint into the loading dock as Melody jumps the cement dock landing on the floor.

"The refrigeration unit's in that container. Jayne cover him." MJ follows close on Michael's heels as he approaches the unit and she turns shouldering the shotgun and sweeping it from left to right.

"You worked for Merryweather?" Michael asks in her earpiece as he lifts up the cradle.

"Not now Michael." Norton flips his radio back to their channel.

"Phillips is on his way."

"Just a couple clicks out, is the package ready?" Trevor's voice suddenly fills her earpiece, she turns and spots the blinking running lights of his helicopter.

"Package is wrapped." Michael replies giving Melody a look before he brushes past her, the helicopter moving over head as the wires fall from the underbelly.

"Agency's response teams and Merryweather security are already in the building we missed our window! We're too late!"

"No! We've come too far!"

"If that chopper goes down-"

"We can do it." Melody says as she moves in between Haines and Michael.

"Jayne you're with me let's hold 'em off while they hook up!" Melody kicks off her heel sprinting for the bay.

"You really think we can do this?" Haines asks as they both pull of their gas masks and jog into the loading bay.

"I've been through worse." Haines turns on Melody and raises his sidearm.

"So have I." He pulls the trigger the bullet hitting Melody in the chest and knocking her back to the ground.

Haines turns on his heel and jogs out of the open loading bay as the sounds of boots approach.

"Go! Go!" Haines shouts as he hauls himself onto the cargo container.

"Where's Melody?!"

"She fell behind!" Michael goes to jump off of the container but Norton grabs him.

"Let me go! I'm not leaving her!"

"Go Trevor! Now! Go!" The cargo container lifts into the air and barely misses the barbed wire fence, Norton gripping Michael by both arms as he fights him.

"Melody!" Franklin and Trevor could Michael's screams from inside the chopper he could see the flashing lights of cars, SUV's and soldiers pouring into the factory from all sides.

"Melody!"


	12. The Betrayed and Left Behind

Melody's head falls to the side, the man with the swollen knuckles rubs them as she rolls her tongue in her mouth and spits blood onto his shoe. She manages a chuckle, a slow pained chuckle that makes the man who had been beating her for the last two days growl and hit her again.

"You hit like a Pogue." She looks at the momentary confused look on his face.

"Like a Fobbit pussy who never fought a day in his life." She clarifies, her insult is rewarded with a back handed smack, the man's knuckles too sore for another punch. Melody looks up at him with the one crystalline blue eye that wasn't swollen shut and chuckles, shaking her head.

"What was it Eastwood said? "You can beat me... starve me... shoot me... but just don't bore me."." She smiles through her split lip and spits more blood onto the ground managing another small laugh.

"Enough." A shadow from the corner says.

"First Lieutenant Melody Annabeth Jayne. My, my, how I wish we'd known you weren't decomposing, buried in the snow." Melody manages a small but painful shrug.

"I'm a constant source of surprise, just ask my boyfriend."

"Yes..." The shadow says as he flips open a file folder.

"Michael De Santa... perhaps we will." Melody leans forward in the chair until the chains around her wrists stop her, the metal bindings rattling against the back of the steel chair.

"If you so much as look through a camera at him I will bury what's left of you and your children in a dog park to be shit on for eternity." Melody growls, her voice low and even.

"That's more of the Melody Jayne I've heard about, they tell me you were most capable soldier our military liason program ever spit out." Melody rests back in her chair looking around the room.

"That was a long time ago."

"The first and so far only female to ever serve in an Advanced Force Operations team is nothing to shake a stick at. You were dangerous Ms. Jayne and given the company you kept Navy SEALs, Marine Recon, Russian Spetsnaz, that is truly saying something."

"Were?"

"Poor choice of words?" Melody looks at him as she runs her tongue along the inside of her cheek.

"Very."

"We were ever so surprised to see you pop on the radar Ms. Jayne after you refused to be integrated into a unit, the entire point of the joint program between our military and Merryweather I might add, you had one last op and then conveniently perished."

"Is there a point to all this?"

"Well, a less thoughtful man than myself might consider the possibility that you were captured and turned."

"You think I'm a terrorist?"

"I think you and your boyfriend just stole a neurotoxin from a highly classified research facility operated by International Affairs, certainly a terroristic act."

"Define for me Spook, the word terrorism."

"Well what you just did certainly qualifies..."

"A terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government. I was born in South Africa and naturalized, by choice, as a citizen of the United States."

"Your point?"

"Does this look like Cape Town to you? I wouldn't lead a resistance against a government I chose to become a citizen of would I?"

"You may if-"

"Get your head out of your ass Agent. Even if you could label me a terrorist it's not an act of terrorism until I use the toxin now is it?"

"Semantics."

"Statement of facts in evidence."

"You're a lawyer now?"

"I'm whatever the situation calls for."

"Well you're a prisoner now, so be a prisoner."

"The first priority of being a prisoner of war is to escape. You really want me to adapt to that?" Melody looks at the Agency spook who shuts the folder in his hand.

"Improvise, adapt and overcome. I heard those words a lot over the years." The Agent says as he sits down across from her slapping his file onto the metal table.

"Marine." He nods.

"I was with the One-One, scout snipers."

"Snake eyes, huh? So Marine, how does a hard charging devil dog end up working with a bunch of spooks like the IAA?"

"We can't all leave our duty to our country in the dirt to become big shot criminal entrepeneurs."

"Feel like I should be flattered." The Agent shrugs.

"Take it as you will."

"How was your grouping?"

"Ten inches at twelve hundred and fifty yards." Melody nods and adjusts herself in her chair, flicking some blood soaked bangs over one shoulder.

"Not bad."

"That was a long time ago, you would've been about three or four." Melody chuckles shaking her head.

"How did we end up here mate?" She looks up at the old Marine who taps the folder on the table for a moment before leaning forward.

"Melody...just tell me where the hell De Santa, Haines and the toxin are."

"I can't." The Agent slaps his hand against the table.

"Why not?"

"Semper Fidelis Marine, do those words mean nothing to you anymore?"

"Like I said it was a long time ago." He holds up his hand and the door swings open, a large tilting table and a ten gallon jug of water are brought in by two men in ski masks.

"Feel like talking yet?"

"Yeah. Go fuck yourself." Melody fights the two men as they haul her out of the chair, struggling with her hands chained behind her back as they physically lift her and shove her down onto the long metal slab. She struggles as they strap her down to it, kicking a lever the slab tilting back to a supine position.

"Things are about to get very ugly Ms. Jayne, but it can all stop here if you just-" Melody looks up at the man and spits blood into his face hitting him just below his right eye.

The Agent shakes his head as another man forces a towel over her nose and mouth, the other minion lifts up the big jug of water and begins pouring it.

December 3rd, 2013 0937 hrs

"Around the block, go! Go!" Michael shoves Franklin to the left as he sprints down the alleyway, his suit jacket whipping behind him as the man he's chasing looks back and speeds up trying to widen the gap between them.

"He's coming to you Frank!" Michael touches the headset in his ear as the man makes to the entrance of the alleyway and Franklin's arm appears from around the corner clotheslining him. He tumbles back slamming into the cement as Michael jogs to a stop putting both hands on his knees and blowing the air from his lungs.

"You are one spry motherfucker!" He says giving the man a kick in the ribs before he grabs two fistfuls of his shirt and physically hauls the man to his feet slamming him into the brick wall. The man tries to shove Michael back but Michael hauls him forward a step and slams him into the brick wall again.

"Where is she?!"

"She's with your mother!" The man says as Michael jams his fist into the man's abdomen.

"Now that's not very polite, my mother's a nice lady." Michael drives his knee into the man's groin before shoving him back against the wall.

"I'm going to say this nice and slow so your fucking brain can comprehend this. I know she's still alive, I know this because I know Haines shot her that backstabbing fuck and I also know she was wearing her vest, how do I know? Because I gave it to her!" Michael pulls back, one hand on the man's chest as he hits him with a right across his jaw, grabbing his shirt again he keeps him pressed to the wall.

"Now. You see my hulking friend here?" He nods to Franklin.

"You're pals at the IAA kidnapped someone he tends to think of as family, a little sister even, if she couldn't kill him six ways from Sunday-"

"You know that's right."

"And let me just say he is itching to show you what happens when you fuck with our family."

"So you can talk to me, or you can talk to him while I take a smoke break." Franklin holds up the pocket knife Melody gave him as a present, the blade ejecting with a resounding click.

"Melody's law number three, always carry your knife and always keep it sharp." Franklin adds, the treated black blade deflecting the glare except along the sharpest edge where it glints in the sunlight.

"Is your manhood really worth all this cloak and dagger bullshit?" Michael asks as the man looks at him then back at the knife, and Franklin.

"A warehouse in Cypress Flats, Rancho."

The slab tilts upwards and locks into place, Melody gasps coughing and sputtering water. Her blue eyes coming to rest on the Agency spook who stands there with his arms folded.

"Don't make me do this till it kills you, kid." Melody coughs, her chest heaving as her eyes close and she shakes her head.

"You know I'm going to kill you for this, Agent." He sighs, gestures with his hand.

"Unstrap her and bring her to the medic, patch her up for round two." They yank Melody off of the table and she stumbles as they shove her forward out of the room and down a long hallway.

"You got a plan?" Franklin squints in the sunlight as he looks at the small guardhouse with one man in it, turning back to Michael as he circles around the car opening the backseat.

"I've got something of a plan, yeah." Michael hoists an RPG onto his shoulder as he walks around the car.

"Fire in the hole!" Michael yells as the grenade ejects from the launcher and hisses through the air impacting the guardhouse, sending the single guard's body high into the air and landing with a splat. Michael dumps the launcher and slips back behind the wheel, his tires screeching as he whips the car around and guns it through the smoking wreckage.

An explosion rocks the building, the Agent and his fellow agency minions looking around as they walk her back from the room the medic was in back towards their makeshift torture chamber.

Melody looks from left to right and headbutts the nearest minion to her left his nose breaking with an audible snap, slamming the other against the wall to her right with her shoulder. She jumps into the air pulling her knees to her chest and slips her arms under her feet bringing her hands forward, her chained wrists going over the Agent's head and around his neck as her feet touch the ground.

She yanks back on her wrists the chains digging into her skin as the Agent struggles and shoves her back against the wall knocking the breath from her lungs. The minion she body checked getting to his feet, she pushes off of the wall at her back slamming the Agent's head into the opposite wall of the narrow corridor and lashes out with her heel striking the minion across the jaw sending him back to the cement floor.

She tightens her grip around his throat driving her knee into his side she forces him to his knees, placing her knee between his shoulder blades she grits her teeth as she pulls on the chains as hard as she can her wrists beginning to bleed from the friction of the rough metal.

"I warned you." She says through her gritted teeth.

It takes a long moment for the choking and gasping sounds to stop before he goes limp, she gives it an extra few seconds to make sure he wasn't playing possum before she moves her wrists forwards letting him slump from between her forearms. Panting, she kneels fumbling through his pockets for the key to the padlock and flicks her hair over one shoulder as she inserts it and twists the key unraveling her wrists from the chain.

She picks up his gun and looks around putting a bullet in the minion who she kicked in the face when he groans, the shot echoing off of the walls and down the corridor.

The medic pops his head out from down the corridor and Melody points the weapon at him, he steps out into the corridor with his hands up. Melody keeps it pointed at him as the sounds of rapid gunfire approach them.

"You've got three seconds to run. Two..." The medic turns and takes off down the corridor, the sounds of yelling coming from the opposite direction.

"Melody!"

"MJ!" She hurries down the corridor and rounds a corner, coming face to face with Michael and Franklin. Michael looks at her, her swollen eye had been cut open and drained, she had bruises down her face and arms. She was sweating and panting, her white tank top soaked in blood and water.

"Mel." Michael hugs her tight.

"There's time for that later, we got to move." Franklin grabs them both by the shoulders as they turn and sprint back the way they came, Melody blinks in the bright sunlight her eyes tearing up as she adjusts to it.

"Here you'll need these." Michael smiles as he hands her her frosted steel and amber lensed aviators. She slides them onto her face, Michael touching her chin with his thumb.

"Better already." She tucks the gun at the small of her back as she pulls open the backseat door and takes one look back at the factory before ducking into the seat and shutting the door.


	13. Damaged

The ride home was odd for Melody. It felt like she looked down at her shoes, looked back up and Michael was asking her if she needed help upstairs. She heard herself mumble something vague about the back door and Franklin drove slowly around the building, she was very aware of the slow moving car, the rustle of the tires and the subtle wobbling of the body on the chassis.

"Mel?" She doesn't answer the far away voice as she exits the car and pulls open the back door ducking to the right into the stairwell.

Every step seemed to have a slapping echo as she loses time again, looking down at a step and looking back up at her hand on the stairwell exit to the fifth floor. She makes her way to her door her hands trembling as she tries to insert the key in the lock and then drops them. Hearing herself curse she picks them up and shoves it in scratching the metal around the lock and pushing the door open, locking it behind her.

Melody turns looking at her utterly silent apartment and walks to her bedroom leaving a trail of clothes along the way to her bathroom where she turns the shower on and steps in before it's had a chance to get hot. She blows the air from her lungs in the cold water and slumps slowly down the marble wall to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest she puts her head to her knees her shoulders shaking as she sobs silently.

December 22nd, 2013

Franklin takes the key from his glove box and walks up to the door of the big garage, pushing it into the lock he turns it stepping inside.

"._..a big screen TV, just bring me things that I don't need. 'Cause now it's Christmas and I want everything I just can't wait..._" The radio echoes across the big garage as he walks down the lines of classic and modified cars until he comes to an all white RH8 with a pair of black and green skate shoes sticking out from under it, the sounds of a ratchet clicking coming from underneath.

"Hey." The ratcheting stops for a moment before it resumes.

"Hey." Melody answers.

"Haven't heard from you in a while and your cell's been turned off."

"Clearly you didn't get the hint. Will you hand me an 11mm socket?" Her hand appears from underneath the car pointing to a row of cabinet style toolboxes and at one that had several drawers open. Franklin walks over and picks up the socket piece dropping it into her palm as her hand disappears.

"So-" He says before Melody blows the air from her lungs in exasperation and slides out from under the car looking up at him.

"What do you want Franklin?"

"You changed your hair, and some new ink..." He looks at the long cinnamon colored locks tied back into a simple ponytail and the intricate silver tattoo of a Catholic's rosary beads going from her wrist around and up her forearm circling back to end with a cross on the underside of her wrist. Melody slides back under the car before she answers him.

"I've changed a lot of things, whatever you want make it fast."

"Look um, I know it's none of my business but-"

"But?"

"He misses you."

"And?"

"And he's worried I guess." Melody slides on the crawler out from under the car and gets up brushing past Franklin she unscrews an old steel gas can filled with water and tips it up to her lips.

"So?"

"So you're his girlfriend and he-" Melody turns on him making him step back a few steps.

"Let's get one thing straight, I'm not Michael's anything ok? I'm not his wife, I'm not his girlfriend, I'm nothing. If he's worried about me tell him he has no right to be, and to leave me the hell alone."

"MJ I get it, some real bad shit went down-" Melody slaps the ratchet onto the long work table.

"No you don't Franklin!" Melody takes a breath lowering her voice, looking down at the aluminum countertop.

"You don't know shit about what happened in that factory ok? Now if you'd be so kind as to get the hell out of my garage?" Franklin nods.

"Yeah sure MJ, I'm glad you're ok." Melody bites her trembling lower lip as her eyes fill tears, she takes a deep ragged breath as the overwhelming urge to break down and cry slowly passes.

"I'm just fine..."

"Thanks for stopping by." She adds over her shoulder as Franklin turns and walks back to the side door.

When she hears it shut behind him she angrily shoves all the tools and paperwork from the counter onto the floor with a sweep of her hands, slamming her fists down onto the metal countertop as tears stream down her cheeks.

"Melody?"

She doesn't turn as Michael takes another step towards her, she sniffs and wipes her eyes.

"Michael. Should've guessed you'd use Franklin to test the waters."

"I um, wow-I don't think I've ever seen you cry before." She wipes her eyes again.

"Don't get used to it."

"Mel, I-"

"Don't, ok? Please just...don't." He steps forward as he touches her shoulder she shrugs his hand away.

"I know you're hurting MJ-" Melody turns on him and shoves him back.

"This was your fault!"

"My fault?!"

"Where were you Michael?!"

"Melody I-"

"You left me behind!"

"I did my best! I did everything I could to find you!"

"To find me. Where were you before that?"

"Hey it was Haines who shot you!"

"Yeah? And where's Haines now?"

"Well I don't-"

"Do you have any idea what I would've done to someone who did half the things to you they did to me in that place? To the person who sent you there?!"

"Mel, baby-"

"Don't call me that, and don't touch me!" She pushes his hand away from her cheek.

"Melody I love you, I would've given anything to have taken your place or to change what happened but-"

"But you can't. Now we all have to live with our choices, I'm done with all this Michael."

"Babe..."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Michael turns away and pauses mid step looking back at her over his shoulder.

"You look good as a brunette, brings out the blue in your eyes" Melody looks down at the floor as Michael continues to the door and shuts it quietly behind him.

She slides down the counter to the floor pulling her knees to her chest and covering her head with her arms, the sounds of sobs echoing off the walls of the big garage.


	14. Just When You Think You're Out

January 19th, 2014

"Allez."

Melody's blade clashes with her opponent's as she steps off her back foot and moves forward deflecting the sabre away thrusting with the tip into her opponent's chest.

"Point." The sunlight warms the large open room of the Richman Country Club. The room was covered in rich hardwoods, flowers and vines lining the windows and planters, with paintings in ornate frames hanging on the walls. Melody circle parries and steps back before lunging again.

Franklin looks around as he approaches a man watching, unbuttoning the top button of his dress shirt. He watches the two masked fencers, the man standing near the director of the match turns and looks at him.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Melody Jayne."

"Ah she's otherwise occupied at the moment." He gestures at her as she steps back on the mat parrying another thrust from her opponent, Franklin folds his arms across his chest after tucking his sunglasses into his shirt pocket.

"A girl of many talents huh?" The man nods as his eyes follow the intricate movements.

"Ms. Jayne is one of my best students, a fine Sabreuse."

"I saw this at the Olympics, where's the scoreboards and lights and stuff?"

"We prefer the more classical methods here, no electric equipment." Melody's teacher crosses his arms biting his thumb.

"She is incredible isn't she?" Franklin looks sideways at him.

"You have no idea. How long will she-"

"Match." The man claps his hands together once.

"Bravo child." Melody steps off the mat sliding the metal mask from her face, her bangs spill around her cheeks as someone comes up to take her sabre.

"Thank you."

"This gentleman wishes to speak with you." He says handing her a bottle of water, she unscrews the cap sipping it as she looks at Franklin.

"I'll bet he does." She gestures over her shoulder as Franklin turns and follows her, she pulls open her jacket and rubs her shoulder stopping to take some grapes from a tray offered to her by a passing waiter. She turns on her heel to walk backwards looking at him and flashing her pretty smile before she chews another grape.

"You know this club is restricted so uh, don't tell them you're Jewish." She says, Franklin chuckles as she turns back walking towards the locker room.

"Very cute."

"I thought so."

"Nice to see you smile again though MJ, I take it things are good?" They round a corner and through a heavy oak door to the women's locker room.

"Things are very good, man on the floor! What brings you here Frank?" Franklin looks around the swank locker room at the paintings and flowers, somewhere a shower comes on as Melody opens her upright mahogany locker.

"What else?"

"And how is Michael?" She shrugs off her jacket hanging it up.

"Missing." Melody chews another grape glancing at her mobile before she sets it back on the shelf, stepping out of the bright white leggings she tugs on a pair of black jeans.

"That sucks."

"Come on MJ..."

"No." Franklin spreads his arms looking at her as she shuts her locker.

"Just like that? No?" Melody slides her duffel bag onto her shoulder and leans in kissing Franklin on the cheek.

"Franklin I am finally feeling like me again...so yeah, just like that." She slides on her sunglasses and leaves the locker room.

"._..is too short so love the one you got 'cause you might get run over or you might get shot._.." The massive speakers in the back of an SUV sing away as Melody dives for the volleyball and just barely taps it to her friend before she smashes into the hot sand. Her friend steps in thumping the ball over the net before pulling Melody to her feet.

".._.love is what I got within my reach, and the Sublime style still straight from Long Beach. It all comes.._."

The ball goes back and forth a few times before one of her friends on the other team spikes it over the net for the winning point. Melody laughs as one of her friends shoves her a little and she shuffles her way through the sand picking up her cell phone from her towel as it rings, she clears her throat before she answers.

"Hello."

"MJ it's Lester."

"Lester haven't heard from you in forever mate, how are you?" She adjusts the bikini strap on her left shoulder and catches the beer a friend tosses her way. Twisting the top off she takes a sip before flicking the small metal disk at him, laughing.

"Listen MJ we found Michael. He's being held by some Chinese colleagues of Trevor's they're uh, rather mistakenly under the impression that the two of them are heh, lovers and well long story short he's leverage." Melody takes a moment and tilts the beer bottle up to her lips moving some sand an inch to the left with her bare foot. She looks up at the sky the sunlight glinting off the frosted steel of her amber lensed aviators.

"Well they're not far off I guess, the way those two go at it."

"MJ...Franklin went there alone to get him after Trevor left him twisting in the wind. If not for Michael just go so the kid doesn't get them both killed, I'll make it worth your time." Melody takes another swig of her beer.

"This is the last time Lester."

"Understood. Franklin's GPS puts him at a warehouse in the meatpacking district off of Orchardville in Cypress Flats."

"Got it and Lester? Lose my number." Melody hangs up as she sets her bottle down in the sand and walks to her car.

The asphalt burns her feet as she pops open her trunk and reaches into the farthest corner pulling out a vacuum sealed bag of neatly folded clothes. She rips it open with her teeth and tugs on the cargo pants pulling on a black t shirt over her bikini.

She drops a pair of boots onto the ground and steps into them, shutting the trunk she slips behind the wheel of the black Gauntlet and ignites the engine her tires squealing as she accelerates out of the parking lot.

"Hold on Michael!" Franklin yells as he ducks behind a pallet of wrapped meat products firing his SMG over the cover as several of the asian gangsters fire at him. He blinks in the sparks and chunks of cement floor the hail of bullets kick up in his face.

"Franklin!"

Melody yanks the e brake and throws the car into a ninety degree slide, depressing the clutch she shifts slamming the pedal to the ground as smoke rises in the wake of the rubber she leaves on the pavement. She brings the car to a screeching halt pressing the brake to the floor with both feet, rolling down the window she looks to her left at the factory and cocks her head at the audible pops of automatic gunfire. She shifts and accelerates around the block.

"Franklin this thing is jammed hurry up before they fix it!" Franklin tries to fire over his cover but the rounds filled the air around him and he could barely hear Michael of the gunfire echoing off of the walls.

A loud roaring begins filling the air as the gunfire slows, the Triad gangsters looking around them.

"Frank?! What is that?!"

The corrugated aluminum wall just in front of Franklin suddenly explodes outward in a shower of sparks and flying metal as Melody's Gauntlet comes roaring through it and slams into the opposite wall on the other side of the narrow corridor between Franklin and the gangsters. Bouncing off of the wall it accelerates and hits the wall again, the tires squealing as the engine continues to accelerate and smoke from the tires begins filling the small space.

Franklin peeks over his cover behind the palette and watches as Melody casually walks into the factory from the impromptu entrance her car made, melting out of the smoke like a mirage. She snaps up the assault rifle her hand gripping the foregrip near the end of the barrel as the rifle spits three rounds tearing through the face of one stunned asian thug, the rest scurrying for cover.

Seemingly unafraid of the bullets that begin puncturing the walls behind her Melody shoulders the rifle as one Triad's head appears above his cover and four rounds eject from the barrel and the man drops out of sight a pool of blood staining the cement floor.

A thug runs from his cover and charges her she ducks the wide swing of the rifle butt and jams her own weapon's stock into his face knocking him back off his feet. She shoves her boot into his chest pinning him back to the ground as she squeezes the trigger twice putting two rounds between his eyes, the blowback spraying her with blood.

She looks down at the two bullets lodged in her thick green flak vest and looks up at the gangster who put them there, raising his rifle to fire again before she snaps up her M4 and empties seven rounds into his chest. The impact knocks him back off of the metal catwalk and sends him splashing into a pool of corrosive liquid, the man screams as her shell casings clatter to the floor.

Melody drops the clip from her rifle and flips it in her hand shoving the fresh one it was taped to into the receiver, she then cycles the charge lever with a crisp snap. Franklin looks at her as he steps out of his cover and she looks over his shoulder at him.

"Feel like joining the party?" She smirks as she continues her march around the vat of acid and out of sight.

Melody ducks behind a pillar and leans around it, quickly counting the gangsters lining the floor and catwalk to her left. She scratches her nose looking down at her gun before she steps around the pillar, she sprays eleven rounds at the armed thug who dives out from behind a palette on the other end of the corridor.

Pulling her .45 from the small of her back she fires it over her head at the man on the catwalk as she walks underneath him, firing her rifle in one hand at the gangster who comes running around the corner in front of her. She shoves the .45 into her waistband and shoulders the M4 firing two rounds into the Triad thug she took the potshots at as he fires his handgun at her, putting him down for good.

"Franklin hurry the hell up! This thing is jammed!" Melody turns the corner and squeezes the trigger putting six rounds in the center mass of the thug trying to work the conveyor Michael hung from. He tumbles back onto the belt and screams as he's sawed and ground, the machinery getting sprayed with blood and bits of bone.

Melody lets the rifle fall slung across her chest as Michael looks at her in shock. She tips her blood sprayed yellow shooters glasses above her eyes and onto her head.

"Fancy seeing you here." She smiles as she circles Michael hanging upside down trying to figure out the best way to get him down.

"Melody? What the fuck?!" Michael tries to follow her as she walks around him, Franklin jogs up around the corner nursing a wound in his shoulder he jogs to a stop panting.

"She just T-1000'd her way through a dozen of these dudes." She takes a knife from her pocket and ejects the blade with a snap cutting Michael's hands free.

Melody hands Michael her .45 as she climbs onto a metal railing and jumps, gripping the motorized track of hooks Michael hung from. She nimbly flips up and locks her ankles around it letting herself hang, her brown ringlets spilling down around her as she cranes her head examining the padlock around the chains at Michael's feet.

She tucks a tension tool between her teeth and inserts a lock pick, taking the tension tool from her lips she manipulates the pick and pops open the padlock.

"This is going to hurt." She adds as she unravels the chain and Michael falls through the air crashing onto the cement floor. She smirks as she leans up gripping the bar she lets her feet drop and lands half crouched on the floor beside him.

Gunfire suddenly erupts around them as Melody pushes to her feet, a gunman charging out of cover and tackling her like an all-star linebacker on a Monday night. The pair go tumbling to the ground and sliding along the cement as Michael and Franklin run for cover, spraying bullets at the three men who round the corner from the exit ahead of them.

The man's gun goes skittering across the floor and Melody brings her hands up just in time to stop the knife that comes down towards her face. The man growls as he puts all of his weight on the hilt trying to shove it down into her chest.

Melody grits her teeth and knees him in the side once then twice, shifting her weight as the knife falls between her neck and shoulder the tip snapping off as it skips off the concrete. She drives her elbow into his jaw as she relaxes her hip and shifts his weight gripping his knife she rolls him under her and drives the blunted knife into his throat.

The gangster erupts in a horrifying series of gurgles and choking sounds as she gets covered in blood, putting both palms on the hilt of the blade she forces it deeper grunting with exertion as the man claws at her face and neck.

With a final cry escaping her lips she snaps the hilt from the blade and stumbles back to her feet away from the man, watching him as he tries to grab the bloody gripless piece of metal before he starts to convulse.

She looks down at the handle of the knife and idly tosses it onto his chest as his eyes begin to go vacant, dusting off her blood stained and fingerless gloved hands. She tries to wipe the blood from her face but only smears it as she looks up at Michael and Franklin.

Michael sweeps her up in his arms circling her in the air as she smiles in spite of herself, he looks into her eyes as he sets her down onto the ground. Melody presses her lips to Michael's as she slides her arms over his neck.

"What was that for?"

"I got caught up in the moment, don't get used to it." Pulling away, they turn looking at the bodies surrounding them.

"I guess that's another one I owe you." Melody slips the sling of her assault rifle over her neck, adjusting it so the gun rests against her back.

"You have no idea..." She looks back down the long corridor beyond all the vats and maze of pipes and catwalks at the ruined black muscle car still spraying fluids and gutting smoke.

"I really liked that car. My gun?" She looks at the .45 in Michael's hand, he sets it in her palm and she steps over a Triad thug clutching his stomach and groaning in a pool of his own blood.

"Missed one." Melody adds as she casually puts two more bullets into him without breaking her stride looking back over her shoulder she gives Michael a smile. Franklin comes up beside Michael watching her walk away.

"She's back?"

"I think she just needed time kid, and a little taste of action again." Melody turns on her heel, walking backwards and looking at Michael her blue eyes sparkling in the bright florescent lights.

"You two coming or what?"


	15. Confessions of Bonnie and Clyde

Michael looks at Melody watching her as she peels the bloody cargo pants down her thighs. Leaning against the hood he blinks, the noise of the cars going over their heads echoes in the overpass tunnel between the Customs Shop and the garment factory Lester worked in.

She shrugs the bloody flak vest from her shoulders and pulls off the t shirt throwing everything into a pile. Standing in the black bikini she was wearing before all this began she picks up the squeeze bottle of lighter fluid and soaks the clothing in it. Sparking up a book of matches she drops it, the pile flaming to life.

"It'll take awhile." Melody says as she sits in the open back end of the stolen SUV watching the flames. Michael sits down beside her, sliding his sunglasses into the collar of his bloody white t shirt.

"So, looks like you still got it." Melody looks sideways at him, a smirk etching the corner of her lips.

"There's not much to killing people Michael. Aim down the sight and pull the trigger, propellant and lead do the rest."

"And she's modest." Melody laughs looking down at her tan legs, her aviators tipping from the top of her head and falling onto her nose.

"Michael?"

"Yeah kid?"

"I'm sorry. What happened it made me feel vulnerable I guess it just made me feel weak. I've never really felt that way before and it just made me so angry. At you at everyone...mostly at myself though." Michael nods looking down at his hands as he rubs one thumb over the other.

"I'm sorry too." Melody pulls herself onto one knee and slides over onto Michael's lap.

"I've been thinking." Michael reaches up pulling her aviators from her nose and tossing them aside.

"Have you now?"

"I was thinking about how you could've died today and I would've never gotten the chance to ask you...if you meant it, what you said in the garage." Michael slides his hands around her trim sides and nods.

"Yeah, I meant it. I've been taking a page from your book you know, I've been working with this guy Solomon Richards he's a movie producer."

"Michael De Santa going legit?" Michael shrugs.

"Like I said I meant it and if you were serious about retiring, maybe it's time I do too. Maybe it's time we go legit...together." Melody looks at him.

"I'm not an easy person to love you know."

"You're preaching to the fuckin' choir." Melody flashes that perfect smile he had missed, that smile that he blamed himself for having made disappear.

"It's nice to see you smile again MJ, all that crying didn't suit you. Too girly." That gets a laugh from her, she nuzzles his fingers as they brush her cheek pushing some of her bangs away behind her ear.

"I've decided I miss the red." Melody looks at some of her bangs between two of her fingers and purses her lips.

"I think I can arrange a comeback." She slides her arms around Michael's neck pressing her lips to his. Michael had missed those soft full lips and the way she always tasted like strawberries. His hands slides up her back as their tongues meet, Michael's hand finding her hips and pulling her further onto his lap.

"I want you inside me." Melody says softly her lips meeting Michael's ear, her hand sliding over his stomach and slowly pushing down his zipper, her hand working its way in and over his hardening cock.

"Ahem." Lester clears his throat.

"Not a good time Lester." Michael looks over Melody's shoulder at him as she looks back, her brown ringlets spilling down her shoulder blade. She rests her face against Michael's cheek the bridge and curve of her nose fitting his jaw line like a puzzle piece. Melody smiles as she climbs off of him.

"Tease." Michael says before she kisses his cheek.

"I just wanted to bring Melody what she was promised, and your car Michael." He hands her a duffel bag and she looks inside.

"It's three hundred thousand you can count it if you'd like. I tossed in some clothes from inside too, nothing fancy a pair of jeans a shirt."

"You got paid to come rescue me?" She zips the duffel bag closed sliding her arms into the dress shirt, buttoning it over her breasts and rolling up the sleeves.

"Well it's not like I asked besides a girl's gotta eat." She pushes the duffel bag behind her.

"It was money well spent, can't very well rob the UD with just that psycho Trevor and the new kid now can I Michael?" Michael grimaces and looks down shaking his head as Melody looks at him.

"The Union Depository? What happened to going legit?"

"Says Miss "fancy seeing you here" and her duffel bag of cash?"

"Michael you're not talking about retiring you're talking about getting yourself killed over gold that no one's ever even tried to get."

"Approximately four tons of gold." Lester chimes in, Melody eyes roll up her lips moving silently as she does the math.

"Ok...that is a lot of coin."

"Exactly Mel, it's the big one the end all be all of scores." Michael looks at her taking her hand, she looks down at it as their fingers interlace.

"...I'm sure Cortes thought the same thing."

"Melody...join us. We'll do this job and then maybe we-"

"What? Sail off into the sunset together?"

"Well yeah-"

"Lester would you give us a minute?" Lester nods and limps away as Melody tucks one knee under her and looks up at Michael.

"Michael you have a family...and I seem to recall an extremely angry Mrs. De Santa screaming about what a homewrecking whore I am."

"Fuck Melody..." Michael gets to his feet pushing himself out of the back of the SUV as he turns back to her.

"Now why do you have to ruin the moment?" He says as Melody gets on both knees, sitting back on her legs.

"Michael I-I love you too ok?" He looks at her.

"Well it only took you months to say it however I sense a "but" coming on."

"But. You have kids an-and a wife and-"

"I have a wife who is a cheating cunt, my kids are world class fuckups but you-" Michael moves closer as Melody bites her lower lip, looking down as her bangs fall across her face. He slides his hand over her cheek, brushing her hair back and stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"You're beautiful and you're smart and goddammit MJ everything about you..." He tilts her chin up and kisses her.

"You make me feel like a man again."

"I don't mean to interrupt but-" Lester comes into sight, holding up his handheld police scanner.

"We've got trouble." Michael circles his fingers around Melody's waist and pulls her from the SUV.

"Move." She trails behind Michael as they jog to his Obey.

"No no, me." She says gripping the door handle before Michael, looking over her shoulder as the sounds of police cars grow louder.

"Hurry up Lester!" Michael yells as he swings himself into the passenger seat beside Melody. Lester climbs into the backseat and Melody jams the accelerator to the floor the tires spinning and kicking up a cloud of dust as she spins the car ninety degrees and down the tunnel.

"What happened?!" Michael asks looking behind him at Lester.

"Someone, not gonna name names here, forgot to rip the tracker out of that fancy SUV she stole." Melody winces as she shifts the Obey and narrowly avoids one of the mechanics at the Customs Shop leaning against a cement barricade on his smoke break. She bounces the car over a curve and downshifts as she swings the Obey onto the gravel alongside the railroad tracks.

"MJ?" Michael looks at her.

"Ok yeah maybe, look I was sort of all distracted ok? I was covered in blood and you were all-almost...shirtless." She looks sideways at him as she depresses the clutch with her bare foot and shifts speeding under an overpass into the train yard.

"You're a freak you know that?" Michael says as she glances in the rearview.

"I didn't hear you complaining ten minutes ago."

"Mel that's a train." Michael grips the handle above his door as he watches the light of the train grow ever closer.

"I'm aware."

"It's coming awfully fast."

"I'm aware." Melody shifts and punches the gas, the train horn blaring as she aims the car for the ever decreasing gap between a stationary line of train cars and the moving train.

The car scrapes the train cars in a shower of sparks as they bounce off of the first set of tracks and onto the next, the train whipping by and closing the gap from anyone who could've been pursuing. She downshifts and weaves her way through another set of train cars before jumping a small curb back onto a side street.

"There, the parking garage." Lester points over her shoulder, Melody coasts down into the underground structure and into the darkest corner away from the entrance and half hidden behind a cement support pillar.

"Well, I better get a cab back to my place figure out just how exposed we've been." Lester says opening the door and limping out of the car.

"Call me and let me know if my apartment's safe, it was my car that was left at the scene Lester." Lester nods, shutting the door and hobbling away. The light blinks off after a moment leaving Michael and Melody in darkness.

"Busy day." He says as she feels his hand on her bare thigh she bites her lip and slowly parts her legs as his hand slides higher.

"Very."

"I can't tell you how much I've missed you MJ."

"Missed fucking me you mean?" She asks softly as she feels his fingers slide over her clit.

"Well can you blame me?"

"No." She leans over and kisses him their tongues meeting before she slides onto his lap bumping the stereo on her way as her ass comes to rest in his hands.

"._..dreamt of you too. Does he know you're talking to me, will it start a fight? No I don't think she has a clue._.."

Michael gazes up at her as she sits back on his lap slowly undoing the buttons of her shirt and exposing her breasts before leaning in and kissing him deeper. Michael could feel how badly she wanted him, it wasn't difficult, he had wanted her so much these past few weeks he knew what it felt like.

Melody's hand slides down his abdomen unbuttoning his pants as he returns her kiss. She makes a soft whimpering sound as she frees his erect cock her hand circling around it and sliding down to the base then back up again.

".._.sometimes I wish she was you, I guess we never really moved on. It's really good to hear your voice saying my name._.."

She pulls away looking into his eyes as Michael's hands slide up from her ass and undo the strings on either side of her bikini pulling it free of her waist, his cock coming into contact with her warm bare skin. Melody was panting in anticipation, her hands trembling as they slide through Michael's hair his hands coming to her hips and lifting her up.

Melody gazes into his eyes as she slowly lowers herself onto him, Michael's throbbing cock sinking into her as she gasps her fingernails digging into his scalp.

"God baby." She gasps before she kisses him again and starts riding him, taking him inch by inch slowly up and down savoring every sensation of finally consummating something she had never really wanted to admit to.

Michael grips her ass in both hands as he gazes up into those blue eyes. He had wanted to be here for so long, every night listening to his wife this was where he wanted to be and he kicked himself for it every time. She was so warm and so wet, dripping down his shaft as she trembled on top of him.

"Harder Michael." She pulls Michael closer as she gasps against his ear, Michael complying as he adds more force loving the way he makes her blue eyes roll up and her eyes close and the way her nails dug into his skin.

"I missed you." She manages softly looking into Michael's eyes before she leans in and kisses him.

".._.never want to say goodbye but girl you make it hard to be faithful with the lips of angel_..."


	16. A Liar, a Traitor and a Lotta Bad Guys

Michael walks up the stairs of the Kortz center and onto the upper platform spying Dave Norton reading a newspaper.

"Ah see Davey, that's why we're such great friends. We're old school we like old fashioned things like newspapers and celluloid. Good guys, bad guys, shit like that." Norton folds up his paper and drops it onto the railing.

"We're friends, huh?"

"Well I don't know Davey you tell me. We did what you said, got those people off your back and now you're gunna do like you said and cut me loose right?" Norton shakes his head looking at Michael.

"Things are not going to work out quite that way Michael. There's a bit of a problem-"

"That's right Davey boy, you can say that again!" Steve Haines walks around the corner with Agent Sanchez as Michael turns in place and throws his arms up.

"Steve! I thought we agreed I would handle this?"

"Right 'cause you've handled everything so fucking well so far haven't you?"

"I admit things have been a little unorthodox but-"

"Un-fucking-orthodox?! You've ruined my career! Agent Sanchez, arrest these men." Michael turns back on his heel.

"Oh whoa! You fucking kidding me? Arrest me for what?!"

"For multiple fucking counts of every crime under the fucking sun." Haines says as Michael looks down watching Agent Sanchez's hand fall to his gun.

"Well then allow me to rephrase, why?"

"Why?" Haines draws his OTs-33 Pernach machine pistol from his crossdraw holster pointing it at Michael's head as Michael draws the .45 from the underarm holster under his suit jacket.

"Because you don't want me to testify in court to our little business dealings, do you?!"

"Agent Sanchez! I said arrest these two." Sanchez draws his weapon as Norton calmly draws his pointing it at Sanchez.

"Agent Sanchez you'll do no such thing. Now Steve we agreed to speak to Michael, to try and explain things to him now we're quickly moving towards a John Woo movie. This causes problems for us all, Steve."

"Ok, ok! Then put your gun down and we'll talk." Michael tightens his grip on his gun.

"After you buddy."

"Come on, where's the trust?"

"You know that's not gunna happen."

"All right! They know or think they know that I was the one behind the incidents." Michael and Norton look at one another.

"And you think I'm gunna clean up your mess again Haines? Go fuck yourself." Michael looks over Steve's shoulder as several men with guns come rushing out of the shadows behind them.

"Put the guns down boys! We got you red handed, the party is over!" Michael looks at the agents from the IAA as the sound of boots approach him from behind as several heavily armed FIB agents point submachine guns at them.

"Put your weapons down all of you!" One of the masked men says, as Haines looks at them then at the IAA.

"And who the fuck are you with?" Agent Sanchez raises his hand.

"With me." Haines turns his gun on Sanchez.

"Rat bastard, I knew you didn't have the balls for this." Norton looks at Michael.

"I stand corrected, now we're in a John Woo movie."

"For the record, I am a patriot! I love my country!" The IAA agent moves closer to Haines.

"Put the weapon down Haines."

"Fuck you-" The whirling sound of a chopper's rotor blades fills the air as a light attack chopper ascends into view a loudspeaker clicking to life.

"Put the weapons down gentlemen!"

"Who are they?!"

"Fuckin' Merryweather!"

"You are all forgetting one thing!" Michael shouts over the roar of the chopper.

"I have the equalizer!" A clap of thunder rolls over them from the ridge behind Steve and the IAA as a bullet tears through the open air cockpit and both heads of the chopper's pilot and co-pilot sending it spiraling out of control and into the side of the building where it explodes into a fireball.

Another rounds pierces the air and punches through Agent Sanchez's chest spraying everyone with blood and organ matter as they all scatter.

"Fuck!" Steve yells as another thunderclap explodes in the air around them and the round blows a fist sized hole through the slab of granite next to Haines' head. The Agent and his IAA goons dive behind cover as Melody curses and pulls the stock of Barrett XM500 tighter against her shoulder.

"What the fuck was that?!" Another chunk of granite pulverizes, the heavy .50 caliber round punching through the stone and blowing a melon sized hole through one of the IAA agent's chest.

"Jayne." The Agent growls as he crawls on his stomach out of harm's way.

"It's De Santa's chick! Jayne! She's on that ridge!" Haines shouts over the sudden eruption of gunfire all around them.

A Merryweather soldier pinned down next to Haines looks at him as another round punches through the granite cover and sprays them with high velocity stone shrapnel.

"You brought Melody Jayne into this?! Every man for their fucking self!" He barrels out of cover and makes it about three feet before a round tears through his chest, spraying his internal organs and a thick stream of blood over the ground. The corpse collapses to his knees then faceplants with a sickening splat, most of his upper torso missing.

"Jesus christ." Haines says to himself as the heavy anti material rounds seem to come from nowhere and turned the world around him into an explosion of noise and death.

"Michael, to your left behind the second pillar." Melody's voice comes through his earpiece as he leans up and fires three rounds into an FIB agent.

"Michael! Is this your frequency?" Norton's voice comes over their earpieces with a high pitched squeal that makes Melody wince as she pivots the rifle and blinks before squeezing the trigger, the round punches through a stone pillar killing the IAA agent hiding behind it.

"Meet me at the walkway bottom of those stairs, we can cross the courtyard to the parking lot!"

"Michael I won't have a line of sight on you there." Melody chimes in as she fires again.

"Then move! Meet us in the parking lot!" Melody picks up the Barrett and takes off sprinting through the woods.

Michael picks up a fallen soldier's assault rifle as he shoulders it and pumps six rounds into the FIB agent who rounds the corner of the platform. Jogging down the walkway Michael skids and puts his back to the corner firing blindly around it before he circles and shoots two more soldiers as they run towards him.

Melody throws herself over a downed tree and runs past a large oak as a Merryweather soldier pops out and clotheslines her, knocking her back and off her feet her Barrett going sliding through the wet leaves. The soldier draws his sidearm and Melody pushes off her hands kicking the weapon from his hand as it goes off with a pop that echoes across the woods.

She leans back on both hands and kicks herself to her feet ducking the wide swing of the soldier.

He lunges for her again and she jabs her left fist into his nose. Grabbing his arm as he swings again Melody plants her back foot her right leg going up and circling over his shoulder as she hooks her left ankle to her right and falls her weight taking them both to the ground.

Melody lands half crouched, still gripping the man's arm she slides her boot in the wet leaves until it rests snug against the place where his neck meets his shoulder and violently twists her body snapping his arm with an audible crack.

The man cries out as Melody pulls the knife from the small of her back and flips it in her hand so the blade's down, thrusting it into his flank between his third and fourth rib. Withdrawing the blade and flipping it in her hand again she pulls the blade towards her slitting his throat.

She sheaths the blade as she pushes herself to her feet, walking over and picking up the Barrett she takes off sprinting for the parking lot again.

Michael throws himself against the small barrier bordering the reflecting pool as Norton looks at him.

"Nice of you to join me."

"Christ, there's a fucking army out here." Michael blindly fires over the barrier.

"This would be an excellent time for that girlfriend of yours to make a dramatic appearance."

"Mel where are you?!" Melody runs across the parking lot sliding over the hood of a sports car she draws her sidearm and empties six rounds into the nearest Merryweather soldier her boots hitting the pavement.

"Almost there." Stooping to pick up the soldier's fallen M249 SAW she sprays the 5.56mm belt fed weapon at the three soldiers who come around the corner. Marching up to them she empties a dozen or so more rounds into their corpses.

"Clear." Michael and Norton come running around the corner Melody tucking the weapon to her shoulder and covering them.

"We need to split, put as much dirt between you and this place as you can and do not contact me until you're absolutely sure you're clear." Michael nods as he runs over to a nearby car and smashes the window with the butt of his gun.

"And Jayne? Thanks." Melody nods at Norton, she runs over to Michael as he hotwires the car the engine roaring to life. Melody climbs into the passenger seat as Michael spins the car around burning rubber onto the pavement as they race away from the parking lot.

Going the wrong way through the circular drive in front of the building Michael guns the car around a curve and down a long straightaway as an explosion against the hill to their right blows out Melody's window spraying her with glass. Melody turns looking over her shoulder through the back window at the light attack chopper as it lines up another missile shot.

"Hold this thing steady." Melody says as she opens the sun roof.

"Hold it stea-where are you going?" Melody pops out of the sun roof and shoulders the SAW, spraying the chopper with sustained fire that makes her teeth begin to chatter and her hands go numb. The cockpit of the chopper gets sprayed with blood as it veers away tumbling out of control.

Melody's hair whips in the breeze of the speeding car as she watches the chopper's nose flare then impact the ground and explode. Melody falls back into her seat and blows the air from her lungs, dropping her yellow shooters glasses onto the dash she slips a half crushed blunt between her lips and lights it with her beat up old black Zippo.

Sitting in silence for a long moment she just smokes, resting her head against the shredded headrest she flips down the mirror and examines her glass cuts, she finally looks at Michael who looks sideways at her white knuckling the steering wheel. A smirk etches the corner of her mouth before she speaks looking casually out of the busted window.

"I have the equalizer?" Michael tries to hold it in for the briefest of moments before he bursts out laughing, his fingers relaxing their death grip on the wheel.

"O-ho oh man, you should've seen their faces." Michael manages as he holds one of his sides, Melody loosens her bulletproof vest and tosses it into the backseat.

"Yeah that .50'll get the point across. Take me home Kato." Michael chuckles as he searches his pockets for his ringing phone tucking one knee under the steering wheel before he answers it.

"Hello? Lester, hey."

Melody watches the trees whip by as she takes another drag from the hand rolled cigar and lets her eyes drift closed.


	17. Enter the Homewrecking Whore, Stage Left

January 27th, 2014

Michael pulls loose the knot in his tie as he whips the stolen limo around a corner from the Oriental Theater and guns the engine, looking down momentarily to hit "one" on his speed dial.

"Jayne."

"I just got a call from Devin Weston."

"Weston, my day just keeps getting better."

"He's going after my family Mel. They're at home getting ready for the premiere. I'm on the way but you said you were shopping on Portola I know it's a lot to ask but if you can get there faster..."

"Yeah, you know you'd think they'd get the hint by now." Melody hangs up and yanks the e brake sending the car into a one hundred and eighty degree spin pressing the clutch and shifting accelerating through a red light and up the hill towards Michael's house.

Pausing to open her glove box she uses a remote with a blue stripe to open Michael's gate and pulls into his driveway.

Melody screeches to a halt looking at the two modified jeeps sitting in Michael's driveway as she opens her door. She calmly walks to the trunk of the modified black Feltzer and opens it with the key, unclasping a weapons case she takes the pump action shotgun from its foam slot below her assault rifle and shuts the trunk. Walking up to the door she unfolds the stock from the top of the gun and shoulders it.

She rings the doorbell.

"Delivery for Merryweather." She says in a sing-song voice smirking to herself.

"-in the fuck?" The Merryweather soldier opens the door to a shotgun round blasting a sizeable hole into his chest and knocking him back to the marble floor the body skidding and leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Melody steps over him as another soldier rushes out of the doorway to the living room and Melody racks the action a spent shell going flying as she pulls the trigger firing from the hip. The twelve gauge slug round nearly tears the soldier's head from his body as he stumbles back and falls, spraying arterial blood all over the hardwood floor.

She swings the gun towards the stairs as a Merryweather soldier comes down them holding Mrs. De Santa by the neck pointing his sidearm at her, Melody looks down the long barrel at him as she works the pump action sending another spent shell to the ground.

"Feel like I'm seeing a ghost." The man says, his Afrikaner accent almost as thick as Melody's when she first came to Los Santos.

"What did they do bring in a new shipment of you goons? I must be exhausting your domestic supply of douchebags."

"You picked a bad weapon for this job Jayne, scatter gun with a hostage? You'll take her with me."

Melody smirks as the soldier looks at the woman Melody carelessly shrugs with the gun in her hands.

"I don't really care if she dies." She pulls the trigger, the magnum slug tearing through his head and spraying the wall behind Mrs. De Santa with brains and bits of bone as he falls back away from her. Melody works the slide again with a loud and crisp clack as she makes her way up the stairs.

"Don't expect me to thank you."

"The thought never crossed my mind, Amanda." Melody says as she brushes past the woman and takes the steps two at a time rushing for Tracey's room.

"Tracey!"

"Melody! In here!" Melody kicks open the door and doesn't give the soldier holding her hostage a chance to make a move before she shoulders the shotgun and fires.

Tracey runs to her as the man's body crumples to the floor hugging her tight, her face sprayed with blood from the blowback of the slug round.

"It's all right kid, you're all right." Melody says, taking an old bandana from her back pocket and wiping the girl's face off.

"I've got to go find your brother ok? Your mom's by the stairs go to her." Melody looks at Tracey as she turns the shotgun up and pulls several shells from her pocket pushing the plate on the receiver down with her thumb and loading the shells.

"I wanna stay with you."

"Go Tracey, please."

Melody turns and circles around Tracey's doorway, raising the shotgun as she puts her foot to Jimmy's door. Stepping inside she sweeps the shotgun around the room then looks behind the door. Furrowing her brow she checks the far side of the bed, then under it before she finally pulls open the closet door.

"Don't shoot!"

"Jimmy, get out of there."

"Melody? Oh thank christ."

"You hid while your mom and your sister were being held hostage?"

"Hey-I had a plan! Look at these!" Melody pulls the pair of night vision goggles from his hand and examines them.

"Jimmy there's an old Chinese proverb, "a pair of night vision specs does not a warrior make"."

"But it gives me the element of surprise." Melody smacks him in the back of the head with the goggles then takes the boy by the back of his shirt and pulls him out of the closet.

"That does you about as much good with trained soldiers as it would sneaking up on a mountain lion, we carry knives you know. Big ones." She turns the boy in place and shoves him toward the bedroom door, holding the shotgun in one hand pointed over his left shoulder.

"You know...there are some of us who still take our jobs seriously." A soldier comes up the stairs, pulling the skull faced ski mask from its face.

Melody inhales sharply as she looks at the beautiful blonde with sparkling brown eyes, a single dyed red strand of bangs falling across her cheek. Her knife was pressed to Amanda's throat as she held the woman tight against her bulletproof vest. The 9mm Desert Eagle with molded combat grips in her hand was pointed at Melody's head.

"Lexi..."

"Hello lover." Lexi smiles adding a little more pressure to the black combat knife, exactly like Melody's own, against Amanda's throat making her whimper.

"But you're-"

"Yeah, not so much."

"I'm getting the impression this is personal? Why don't I let you two chicks work thi-" Melody shoves Jimmy aside shouldering the shotgun as she points it at Lexi.

"No kid just another day at work for me. You're a happy accident though, imagine my surprise..." Lexi walks onto the landing, sliding along with her back to the railing as Melody circles, her shotgun trained on her.

"I could...but I'd rather you let her go."

"And I'd rather slice this plastic bitch's throat to her spine."

"You always did love the melodrama." Melody takes a cautious step forward as Lexi's back comes around to Jimmy's door.

"Not really, but blood and violence? Well, that was always what got our engines revving wasn't it Anna?"

"You're still the only person who calls me that."

"As it should be."

"Let her go Lex. I will put you down." Lexi laughs as she stares at Melody, her brown eyes were bright and warm but behind them there was something dark. Michael comes barreling up the stairs behind Melody his .45 in his hand.

"Michael stay behind me."

"If you could've shot me you would've, my love. It is so good to see you again."

Lexi thrusts her knife into Amanda's back. Amanda gasps as Lexi shoves her into Melody's arms running into the hall bathroom and leaps, smashing through the window she goes tumbling off of the overhang and onto the ground below.

Melody lets Amanda drop as she barrels into the bathroom, racking the slide she fires at Lexi the twelve gauge bucking against her shoulder as Lexi nimbly vaults over a large shrub. Melody fires twice more then again as Lexi claws her way up the fence around the tennis court and drops over out of sight, her last spent shell hitting the ground.

Exiting the bathroom Michael and the kids kneel around Amanda as Michael looks up at her.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Melody drops the shotgun onto a table along the wall and takes a knee shoving Jimmy out of the way.

"Call 911." She says as she pulls an Individual First Aid Kit from a pocket of her cargo pants and rips the plastic open with her teeth dumping the contents onto the floor beside her.

"What are you-"

"Be quiet." Melody rips open a green packet of blood clotting gauze and stuffs it into the wound.

"She missed." Melody mumbles under her breath as she uses her teeth to pull on a pair of latex gloves.

"Mel-"

"Shut up Michael! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've done this?"

She picks up a pair of spreaders with scissor like handles and pulls the gauze out using the tool to widen the area, clutching a small flashlight between her teeth. Melody flips her hair over one shoulder as she examines the wound before spitting out the flashlight. She stuffs in fresh gauze and peels a plastic seal from its paper backing with her teeth, slapping it over the gauze and smoothing it along the skin.

She sits back on her legs as she wipes her arm across her forehead.

"That's all I can do for now."

"What do you me-"

"I mean she needs a surgeon but she missed the aorta so she'll live...I think."

"You think?!"

"Michael I'm not a doctor I'm barely even a medic ok? I took basic combat medicine once a hundred years ago and I slept through most of it." Michael grabs her by the arm and hauls her to her feet.

"Kids stay with your mother." He shoves Melody sending her crashing through his bedroom door and slams it closed behind him.

"What the fuck was that about?" Melody pulls herself to her feet, peeling off the bloody gloves she tosses them onto his bed as she rests her hands on her hips.

"Oh nothing, just taking care of Devin Weston's goon squad for you. Saving your ass like always." Michael backhands her his hand striking her face with an audible clap. Melody's head turns to the side as she touches her lip and looks back at him flicking her silky ringlets over one shoulder.

"Feel better?"

"My wife is laying in a pool of her own blood out there so I want some fucking answers!"

"A week ago you wanted to ditch her and run away with me." Michael raises his hand to strike her again Melody's hand comes up grabbing his wrist mid swing.

"You get one, Michael. The next will cost you that hand." She growls as she lets his hand go.

"She's still the mother of my children, ok? Who was that?"

"None of your concern."

"The fuck she isn't! She just skewered Amanda with a knife that looked an awful lot like yours."

"It is my knife, well, in a way. They're a pair." Melody pulls the knife from the leather sheath along the small of her back and jams the blade into Michael's dresser letting it stand upright.

The knife was a heated treated, powder coated AUS-8 steel seven and a half inch blade with a glass reinforced handle. Well maintained and honed to a razor's edge, the black knife was lightweight, nearly unbreakable and devastating in the right hands.

"I have hers and she has mine." Michael looks at the faded initials engraved in the handle. AAM.

"Alexis Anastasia Murdock." She adds, as Michael grunts pulling the blade from the hardwood turning it over in his hands.

"That stab wound was ours. Angled thrust to the fourth lumbar vertebrae fifty-five millimeters left of the spine just before the inferior vena cava bifurcates at L5, the abdominal aorta. It bleeds like a sieve and death is almost instantaneous."

"You said she missed."

"Lex never misses, not by accident. Michael you need to understand this is my world you've crossed into and that woman is beyond dangerous. She's a human Terminator and we killed people like you order take out and watch old movies."

"How bad can she be? I've seen you fight-"

"No you haven't! Michael-" Melody lowers her voice after taking a breath.

"You've seen a fraction of what I'm capable of, but Lex? She'd have no problems showing you how deadly we truly are. Just leave it alone."

"She's-"

"Leave it Michael! I mean it." Melody brushes past him flinging open his bedroom door, she tugs on a ball cap from her back pocket tilting her face away from the medics as she hurries down the stairs.

Eight years ago...

June 18th, 2005  
Cape Town, South Africa

Melody collapses to the packed dirt on her hands and knees panting before she gags and vomits, sweat dripping from the end of her nose.

"On your feet Jayne!" Staff Sergeant Samuels yells in her ear, Melody clutches her stomach and throws up again.

"Goddammit little girl do you want to be a warrior or do you want to continue to waste my time?!"

"I want to be a warrior Staff Sergeant!"

"Good! Now get vertical this instant soldier or I swear this entire squad will run till their feet bleed and they will have you to thank for it!"

"Yes Staff Sergeant!" Melody pushes herself to her feet and jogs ahead to catch up with the rest of the squad.

"Needed a break did we?" Melody falls into step beside Lexi.

"Shut up." Melody coughs in the dust and takes the long curve with the rest of squad jogging in formation, Lexi looks sideways at her.

"You sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Drank all your water again didn't you?" Lexi pulls the strap from her shoulder and hands Melody her canteen, pausing to let their index fingers touch for a moment. Melody takes a drink and hands it back to her.

"Thanks."

"It's ok, now I don't have to get you a christmas present." Melody manages a small laugh as Lexi smiles.

"Who says we'll still be together then?"

"Who says we won't?"

"I'm sorry ladies, did I miss the announcement about the sewing circle?!"

"No Staff Sergeant!" They both say in unison, their heads snapping forward to the backs of the two men in front of them.

"Good! Since you seem to have so much energy to spare for tongue wagging, how about we do five more miles?!" The entire squad groans almost in unison.

"Don't look at me! You have Jayne and Murdock to thank for your sore feet tonight." One of the guys in front of them looks over his shoulder at them.

"You'll pay for that Jayne." Lexi slaps his arm and points forward, his head turning back before the Sergeant sees.

"You'll have to get through me first."


	18. The Power of Our First Loves

January 28th, 2014

Melody's silky ringlets cascade off her shoulder as she looks down at the guitar gently strumming.

"...call her a killer and they call her a sinner and they call her a whore. God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes..." She doesn't hear Alexis come up behind her, standing in the open doorway of her balcony as she looks out at the sunrise. Pausing, she reaches down for the smoldering blunt in the ashtray and takes a drag from it.

"I missed this." Melody looks over her shoulder then back to the sunrise as she exhales the smoke.

"Missed what exactly?"

"Watching you play, listening to you sing..." Lexi takes the blunt from Melody's fingers and takes a long pull from it.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you baby."

"I'm not your baby and I haven't been for a long time."

"Six years isn't so long."

"It's over half a decade, I'm with someone else now Lex."

"Not if I cut out his heart. Valentine's day is coming up you know, a little jar a big bow..." Lexi smiles as she blows the smoke from her lungs sitting down in the chair beside Melody.

"Lexi, don't."

"Anna, stop this nonsense. You belong with me, you can't fight it." Lexi's hand slides up Melody's arm, the familiar electricity she hadn't felt for years arcing up her arm and down her spine, her skin growing goosebumps.

"Lex...please." Lexi moves closer as Melody's heart starts to race, her breath quickening as she looks at the woman. Lexi's hand finding its way to her chin and tilting Melody's lips to hers.

"I've missed you so much Anna and I know you've missed me too." She kisses Melody's soft lips, Melody feeling like she'd been struck by lightning as her heart pounds in her ears, racing out of control. They part slowly as she looks into Melody's eyes, a smile curling Lexi's lips as she brushes her cheek with her finger.

"You see? You can't resist me." Melody looks away as she tries to slow her heart rate. She wasn't lying.

Melody had been addicted to everything about Alexis her voice was like a drug, her touch, the way she smelled, the way she smiled. There was a time Melody would do anything for more of her, a time that she worshipped her.

The longest relationship of her life was with her, Lexi had taught her about love and life, most of all how to take them. She knew things about Melody not another soul on this earth knew, her deepest secrets and her darkest desires.

"Please go." Melody manages after a long moment of silence, Lexi pulls her hand away as it clenches into a fist and she growls.

"Fine, I'll go. I think maybe I'll take a trip up to the hospital and see your boyfriend." Lexi gets up to leave Melody getting up behind her.

"Leave him out of this Lex." She turns looking at her before she walks back and locks her hand around Melody's throat shoving her against the railing.

"Don't tell me how I should handle someone fucking you. He's lucky I haven't strung up those bratty kids of his by their entrails he defiled you, tainted your perfection, he deserves worse than death." Melody grabs Lexi's wrist, the muscles in her arm were like bands of iron.

"You going to throw me over?"

"I'm considering it." Melody winces as she digs her nails into Lexi's skin, glancing over her shoulder down the five story drop.

Melody thrusts her elbow into the bend of Lexi's arm and twists pivoting on her heel and under Lexi's arm she shoves Lexi down onto the railing. Lexi growls as she struggles making Melody tighten her grip pressing Lexi's arm to the small of her back.

"I thought you were dead. I spent a week in the infirmary and they told me you were fucking dead! I didn't even get to go to your funeral."

Lexi lashes out with her left elbow missing and thrusting her right hand into the open space between Melody's arm and her body, reversing the lock bringing Melody's arm to extension and immobilizing it as she slams Melody down onto the railing. Melody's hair whips in the wind as she looks down at the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Do you have any idea what that did to me?" Melody adds, her voice growing softer.

Lexi turns Melody around bringing her body against her own, her fingers wrapped around Melody's hips as she stares into Melody's blue and now tear stained eyes.

She kisses her, pressing her lips to Melody's who hesitates for a long moment before she holds Lexi's cheeks in both hands inhaling deeply through her nose and kissing her back. Her hands move down Lexi's sleeveless leather vest, running her fingers over the three buttons securing it to her bare skin, brushing them over Lexi's exposed belly button.

Lexi's hands slide over Melody's ass lifting her up as Melody's bare legs lock around Lexi's waist, carrying her back into Melody's apartment.

Six years ago...

March 2nd, 2008  
Eight klicks outside of Baghdad.

The explosion blows an old foreign car over Melody's head as she kneels behind an old and pockmarked cement barricade. Shouldering her M14 EBR she squeezes the trigger the weapon bucks and the bullet tears through the chest of the man charging at her. She blinks in the spray of concrete shrapnel that follows their bullets pounding into the cement barricade in front of her.

Lexi skids in the dirt sliding against the barrier beside her, she drops the clip from her M4A1 and slaps in a fresh one yanking the charge lever and setting the barrel down onto the barrier pivoting the rifle as she fires. Several rapid shots and six men fall dead to the ground as they pour out of the narrow back of a troop transport on top of one another.

"Nice of you to join me." Melody says as she rises to one knee shouldering the rifle and firing. She catches a soldier twice in the chest and one in the right eye the impact knocking him back as his momentum carries him forward, slumping to the ground and skidding along on his knees.

"You looked lonely."

"You obviously haven't met my friends over there." Melody smirks as she pulls the pin from a grenade with her teeth and lobs it over the barrier.

Their earpieces crackle to life as Melody drops behind the barrier with her back to it dropping the spent box magazine from her EBR and tapping a fresh one against the frame of the rifle before shoving it into the receiver and cycling the bolt.

"Trident, Trident, this is Spartan Two-One." Melody pops over her cover long enough to shoot at a soldier trying to make his way from cover to cover, she misses but the spray of bullets force the man back to where he had been, then takes a knee pressing her transmitter.

"Go for Trident."

"You need to evac that position immediately, the US Navy is about to rip those boys a new asshole. Repeat you are danger close, Heavy's are inbound."

"Roger that." Melody shoulders the EBR, crouched low before the barrier as she looks up at Lexi.

"You go first, they follow you and I'll be right behind you."

"You better be."

"I will Lex, go." Lexi takes one last look at her as Melody sets the rifle on the cement barricade and starts firing. She pivots the rifle, squeezing the trigger the brass casings ejecting from the receiver and plinking to the ground.

"Let's go Trident we're Oscar Mike!" She could hear Lexi shouting as she pivots again and fires, ignoring the spray of high velocity chunks of cement pelting her face as they pepper her barricade. The receiver clangs open as she pumps the last round into a soldier, dropping the clip she pulls a fresh one from her vest and slaps it home.

"Jayne we're clear move your ass." Melody gets to her feet aiming from the hip and firing three more times before she turns and sprints towards the Humvee. Just head of her she could see the rest of Trident sprinting for the vehicles, bullets beginning to whiz past around her.

Kent and Lexi both stop in place, turn and crouch shouldering their rifles and firing around her as she runs past them, skidding to a stop she turns and fires her rifle.

"Let's go you two!" They both push to their feet firing as they walk backwards towards the Humvee. A round ricochets off of the Humvee another punching through the driver's side door. Lexi suddenly stumbles and falls backwards as if a huge hand swept her back off her feet.

"Lex!" Melody fires from the hip once then twice before she skids on her padded knees in the dirt.

"Jayne, we're out of time!" Kent fires over her head as Melody grabs the handle at the back of Lexi's vest and drags her through the dirt towards the rear of the Humvee. She steps in first grunting as she uses both hands to haul Lexi's dead weight into the back as Kent throws himself into the seat behind the driver and the engine roars to life.

"Go, go!" Kent shouts as Melody drops the helmet from her head, it goes clattering onto the floor of the Humvee and rolling away when they take a sudden sharp turn.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. Lex? Baby, open your eyes for me ok?" She brushes her loose copper bangs behind one ear as she curls her fingers into the collar of Lexi's vest and shakes her.

"Lexi? I need you to look at me." Melody rips open Lexi's tactical vest and looks at the three large holes in her ballistic plating and the blood staining her uniform. She reaches behind her to the pouch attached to her vest at the base of her spine and rips it free undoing the zipper with her teeth as tears fill her eyes.

Melody pushes one of Lexi's eyelids open with her thumb as she shakes the contents of the first aid kit onto the dirty floor around her, her hands trembling as she cuts the plating free and rips open her shirt.

She tears open a blood clotting agent with her teeth shaking the gunpowder like contents into the wounds trying to put pressure on them with her fingerless gloved hands. The wounds still run freely around her gloved palms seeping between her fingers and soaking them in her warm blood.

"Baby?" Tears stream down Melody's cheeks as she looks around her for something else to use or to give as the pooling blood begins to soak through her knee pads and her uniform.

"Dammit Alexis open your fucking eyes!" The Humvee screeches to a halt bouncing Melody's left temple off the metal side and sending her head swimming, throwing her off of Lexi as she tumbles back to the floor.

Melody's vision was blurry as she groans, the back of the Humvee coming open as several shadowed hands pull Lexi out by her boots, another two pairs of hands grabbing Melody.

She tries to fight them as they drag her out into the sunlight the light blinding her as they unceremoniously drop her onto the pavement, a uniformed soldier kneeling beside her.

He pushes Melody's head to the side examining the large bleeding gash, Melody blinks staring at Lexi's vacant brown eyes looking back at her only a few feet away before darkness begins clawing at the edge of her vision as her own eyes begin to inexorably close.

"Medic! Sit tight kid, you're gunna be fine."


	19. Calling an Audible

"This is new." Lexi runs her fingers over the tattoo on Melody's left shoulder blade. An ornate cross bordered by angel's wings and in a scroll twisting around it were the words "Orbis Non Sufficit".

"The world is not enough. Truer words were never spoken, you deserve the world and the stars it hangs in my love." Lexi smiles brushing her bangs behind one ear as she kisses it.

Melody doesn't look at her, her cheek resting on her folded arms. She stares at the wall feeling Lexi's soft lips press against her, Lexi's hair sliding off her shoulder and sweeping her warm skin.

"You're quiet." She adds after a long moment of exploring Melody with her lips.

"Just thinking about what a backstabbing cunt I am..." Melody pulls the silky sheet over her breasts as she turns over onto her back and looks up at the ceiling.

"And how I'm going to explain this to Michael." Lexi snuggles up to her resting on her elbow she looks down at Melody tilting her chin to the side a little kissing her.

"Don't." Their tongues meet for a moment before Melody turns away.

"I have to say something."

"Says who?"

"My conscience, for one."

"Anna since when do you have a conscience? I once saw you draw a heart on a man's cheek in the blood you got from jamming your fist into his stomach wound, well, least until he talked." Melody blows the air from her lungs and looks at the ceiling.

"Then you put a bullet through it, I thought that was a nice touch."

"Lex...do you ever think-I mean what is the one thing we're good at?"

"Killing people."

"Exactly that's not who I want to be anymore." Lexi circles her arms around Melody as she leans against her headboard holding Melody close between her legs.

"I just want to lay on the beach and have a life...and I want to be normal, be loved have a relationship...kids." Melody adds as Lexi nuzzles her ear and presses her lips to Melody's hair.

"Well, I love you."

"And you're psychotic." Lexi laughs.

"I am not."

"I think by definition crazy people don't know they're crazy."

"I'm not crazy. I'm exactly the way Merryweather wants me to be."

"And you don't see anything wrong with that? On your tombstone it'll say "Here lies name redacted, born classified, died classified. Murderer of countless, a soldier of fortune without a country, a soul devoid of light.". You really want to end your life like that?"

"As opposed to you? What are you going to do? Die in sixty years unable to walk or talk in some mansion praying your children don't murder you before you change your will?"

"I just want to live Lex, do things normal people do."

"Normal people are fucking boring." Melody's head turns at her cell phone chirping and reaches out for it reading the text.

The usual place. One hour, come alone. Lester.

"I have to go." Melody slides out of bed and walks into her closet.

"Where to?" Lexi asks as Melody tugs on a pair of jeans and a black hoodie.

"I have a meeting." Melody sits on the edge of her bed tugging on a pair of black Osiris skate shoes with green laces and tucks her mobile in her pocket.

"With who?"

"None of your business." She picks up her keys from the table by her bed and looks down as Lexi reaches out locking her hand around her wrist in a vise like grip.

"It is my business." Melody digs her fingers under Lexi's index finger and lifts using it to pry the rest of Lexi's hand from her wrist.

"No it's not, not anymore. Lock the door behind you." She adds as she walks out of the bedroom pulling her front door shut.

Lexi sighs and leans over the bed searching through her clothes carelessly tossed onto the floor until she finds her pants and her phone, dialing the first number on the list.

"Hey it's me." She says tucking the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she pulls her panties on.

"News?"

"I'm in, sort of."

"Sort of?" Weston shovels in another mouthful of Lo Mein with his chopsticks.

"This is Melody Jayne we're talking about here ok? She'll trust but watch me like a hawk and verify everything I say and everything I do."

"I brought you to the States because you assured me you could control her. "Like a marionette" were your exact words, I believe." Devin adds in between bites.

"It's been a long time Devin I'm not her girlfriend anymore, hell I'm not even her friend. I'm just a ghost she hasn't decided what to do with yet."

"Where is she now?"

"I don't know, she got a text and bolted like the place was on fire."

"I'll have one of my associates find out what it says but I doubt it'll mean much by the time they run it down. If we want accurate and real time intel on them I need you to clone her phone."

"There's no way she'll ever leave me alone with anything that important."

"Then I suggest you get creative, don't contact me again unless you have something substantial to report. You were a spy for the last five years, you should be familiar with how this works." Lexi sighs.

"Yes Mr. Weston I am."

"Good, I brought in a Mongoose to take care of my snake problem I certainly hope I don't have to bring in something to take care of my Mongoose problem." Weston hangs up as Lexi looks down at the phone and drops it onto the bed.

"Dick."

Melody rests her head on her arms sitting backwards in the chair.

"Where are they?" She groans, Michael doesn't look up from the three month old magazine he found on the table.

"Patience, grasshopper." Melody narrows her eyes at him.

"Don't call me that."

"Well, well, isn't this cozy?" Trevor crosses the large empty warehouse spreading his arms and turning in a circle.

"Trevor."

"Michael. Cunt." He adds nodding to Melody, she holds up her middle finger.

"So anyone wanna tell me what the fuck I'm doing here?" Trevor slides onto the table letting his legs swing and clapping both hands together.

"Lester made the call let's wait for him." Melody blows the air from her lungs and drops her head back onto her folded arms. After a few moments she looks up at Trevor looking her over, his eyes wandering from her head to her sneakers.

"Make me gouge out your eyes."

"So..." Lester's voice echoes across the dank warehouse as he crosses the long cement floor.

"I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here tonight." Lester says as he hobbles into the light chuckling to himself.

"I'm wondering why I've been here for an hour, I need a shower Lester."

"A long day of bending over for some Merryweather thug?"

"Shut up Trevor." Trevor pushes off the table to his feet.

"You wanna go sister?"

"Fuck yeah." Melody flings the chair out from under her sending it skidding across the floor before Michael steps in between them.

"Knock it off! We all have places we'd rather be my wife is lying in a hospital bed for fuck's sake!" Melody picks up her chair and sits back down in it backwards, brushing her bangs back she tips a bottle of water to her lips.

"Geez, you'd think you guys would take a break after your little showdown at the O.K. Corral but its all go, go, go with you two isn't it?" Trevor goes back to the table and lifts himself onto it as Michael turns on him.

"You were there?"

"Maybe."

"How else would you know?!"

"I kept an eye on things ok?! I wanted make sure no one got a chance to put one in your coconut you before I do."

"You coulda helped out!"

"You had things well in hand, beside if you didn't you had GI Jane there and her cannon. Nice work by the way very subtle." Lester clears his throat as they all turn and look at him.

"Children? If you don't mind?" Michael sighs and taps Melody on the shoulder.

She looks up at him for a moment before she blows the air from her lungs her eyes rolling to the dimly lit ceiling and gets up from the only chair letting Michael sit. She rests back on his lap letting him circle his arms around her.

"Gentlemen oh and lady I wanted to get us all here together, without our young colleague, because it's time to call a truce." Melody arches her eyebrow as Michael looks at Trevor, who blinks then jumps to his feet. Michael follows suit jumping to his feet sending Melody flailing to the ground.

"With that worthless wretch?! I'd rather fuck Jayne."

"With him?! No fuckin' way!" Michael says pointing at Trevor as Melody pushes herself to her feet and brushes herself off. She glares at Michael as she sits back down in the now empty chair.

"I thought as much which is why I'm only going to say one thing...One. Last. Score." Lester adds as Michael and Trevor exchange looks again.

"And you two have to get your shit together if we're gunna do this." Trevor growls as he turns in place pacing like a caged animal.

"We're making history here gentlemen, sordid, nasty, depraved history but history nonetheless. This is our legacy, I think that's worthy of setting aside killing each other for a few days. Agreed?" Michael nods.

"Yeah, yeah." Trevor adds waving a hand in Michael's direction.

"Good, now how about a group hug?"

"We have another problem." Melody chimes in taking another sip from her water.

"Oh we do, do we?" Michael asks turning on her, Melody stares up at him from her place in the chair.

"Alexis Murdock." Lester looks quizzical before he starts entering the name into his phone.

"Don't bother, she's not in any database you can hack or worm your way into."

"Who is she?"

"I don't know, because someone wouldn't tell me." Michael interjects looking at her.

"Don't you think you had more important things to deal with?"

"Yeah I did she's going to be fine by the way thanks for asking."

"I didn't ask." Melody retorts her blue eyes fixed on him.

"Trouble in paradise?" Trevor pipes up from his seat on the table before Michael and Melody both look at him.

"Shut up Trevor." They say in unison.

"I get how this may affect your, ahem, unique relationship but what does this have to do with us?" Lester asks leaning on his cane.

"Apparently she's some kind of supersoldier-"

"Not apparently Michael. Lester when you first looked into me what did you find?" Lester pushes his glasses further up his nose as he blinks.

"Go on, you can tell them."

"Melody was part of a joint Merryweather program with the US Military to test the feasibility of females in front line combat. More specifically the more abstract and guerilla warfare our special forces have had to adapt and deal with over these last few years." Melody folds her arms over the back of her chair and rests her head on them as Lester clears his throat.

"The program was nicknamed Athena after the Greek goddess of courage and just warfare among other things. The United States turning a blind eye to the rest of the world as usual didn't believe women could effectively serve in these special branches even though most of the world already does..." Lester looks at the floor as he taps his cane to the cold cement.

"The graduates of Athena were supposed to be integrated into these units given rank and all the bells and whistles. So when the time came to follow suit with the rest of the world the United States would already have exemplary soldiers like her to hold up and say "Look, see? We did it, and so can you."." Michael looks at her as Melody turns her head to the side still resting on her arms and looks up at him.

"You were a recruitment tool?" Lester chuckles at Michael's words as he shakes his head.

"Athena was much more than that, Merryweather couldn't just dress a few ladies in uniform for the Department of Defense and be done with it. No, these women had to be as capable or better than anyone else if they were going to make the cut. Twelve years later, you see the product of those endeavours for yourself." He gestures at Melody who gets up and pushes the chair in under the table zipping up her hoodie.

"Beautiful, intelligent, adaptive and extremely dangerous." He adds as Melody throws a wave over her shoulder walking out of the dimly lit space and across the empty warehouse.

"How dangerous? This woman, she works for Merryweather."

"If there's another Graduate out there and she's not our side? Well, I'd start sleeping with a very large weapon under your pillow, I certainly will be..."

"And Michael? She's right, we can't do this if we've got the anti-Melody watching our every move but if we're careful we can at least do our prep work, I'll text you the details." Michael watches Melody's shadow melt into the background before she pushes open the far door washing the room in sunlight then it clangs shut behind her.

"Melody wait!" Michael bursts through the door as Melody pauses one foot already in her car her hand on the door.

"Mel wait. Look I'm sorry I just-this has all been-"

"I cheated on you." Melody says flatly, tipping her sunglasses onto her hair and blinking in the sunlight.

"I-you what?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." She says, glancing out at the water just beyond the barbed wire fence bordering the big warehouse.

"You-you're sorry? Wait-with that woman?!"

"Yeah things got a little out of hand and I should've been stronger."

"Well, I'm glad you can be so calm about it."

"I figured you know like a Band-Aid..." Michael paces for a moment before turning back to her.

"Like I don't have enough going on?!" Melody steps the rest of the way out of the car and slams the door.

"And I don't?" Michael looks at her a look in his eyes that she'd seen before.

"Go on, if it'll make you feel better."

"What'll get me?"

"A broken arm, for one. I was weak Michael, she's always been able to...make me submit. I just-I gave in." She says as Michael throws up his hands.

"You're a fucking piece of work you know that?" Melody nods.

"I know." Melody reaches for her door handle.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Michael growls taking her upper arms in both hands and shoves her back against the car hard enough for the gun at the small of her back to break the driver's side window. Melody winces in pain as the glass shatters around her feet looking up at him.

"Going to smack me around now Michael? Put me in my place?" Michael searches her eyes for a long moment before he pulls her into a rough and dominating kiss forcing his tongue into her mouth as she whimpers. Pulling away she looks up at him Melody's breath quickening.

"What the fuck am I going to do with you MJ? You're in my dreams, you're on my mind all the time. You're like crack only twice as toxic. " Biting her lower lip she fixes her blue eyes onto his.

"Anything you want." Michael lifts her up roughly dropping her onto the hood as she gasps. Michael's teeth find her neck and earlobe as she unbuttons his pants, his bites were just hard enough to make her moan softly in his arms.

"Is this how it's going to be? You do shit like this then reel me back in like the catch of the day?" He asks in between her gasping moans and his teeth sinking into her flesh. Melody pulls his head up with both her hands resting on his cheeks.

"I made a mistake baby I'm sorry." She lightly touches her lips to his as she runs her fingers through his hair.

"You will be." Melody tilts her head to the side as Michael's lips explore her warm skin.

Michael turns Melody around shoving her down onto the hood as she gasps, her hands slipping under her toned stomach undoing her belt and her jeans helping Michael hastily slide them over her ass and down her thighs. Michael pushes down his zipper freeing his hard cock as he grabs a fistful of Melody's silky ringlets, Melody cries out as he roughly shoves his thick cock inside of her.

"Shit." She manages in between gasping breaths as Michael yanks her head back by her hair, gripping her hip in one hand as he slides his cock out to the head and shoves it back into Melody's wet cunt.

"God Michael take me." Melody's nails scrape down the hood of her silver Adder. Michael leans over her back his lips ravaging her exposed neck as his right hand slides over her breast.

"Fuck me baby, harder!" Michael shoves her back down onto the hood as he fucks her, his thighs slapping against her ass. Michael grunts as he pounds his throbbing cock into Melody, listening to her whimper with each hard thrust into her.

"You gunna be a good girl?" Michael leans over her back rasping in her ear as Melody smiles feeling his lips encircle her earlobe and his teeth dig into it, it felt so good to be his again. She felt so guilty she wanted to be his and only his she didn't want to shy away anymore she wanted to get lost in him, his love.

"Yes, god yes." She moans he takes a fistful of her hair again and presses her cheek into the warm sunlit hood of the car.

"Yes what?" Melody moans louder and manages a small laugh her eyes rolling back and pushing her body back against him.

"Mmm, yes sir." Michael pushes his hard cock as deep as he can his lips finding Melody's neck again his hand sliding up her hip and her side, working its way under her shirt and over her breast.

"Baby cum in me." She begs softly as her fists reflexively clench, her nails scratching marks into the paint job. Michael slows his thrusts his lips still exploring her neck and her shoulder, his fingers sliding under her bra and over her erect nipple.

"You're so beautiful MJ, so perfect, so fucking incredible...and you belong to me, do you understand?" He adds his lips pressed to her hair as he fucks her slow, so close to giving her what she wants.

"Yes I do." Michael yanks her head back by her hair as she cries out.

"You're mine. Do you fuckin' understand me?" Melody smiles as her eyes close biting her lower lip and nodding.

"Yes."

"And whose body is this?"

"Yours."

"So should anyone else be touching it?" Melody whimpers shaking her head from side to side, rising up on her toes overwhelmed by the urge to get him deeper as he impales her into the car.

"No and no one will-god-I promise baby."

Michael groans as he pushes into her wet depths again, grunting before he finally lets go. Melody moans her arms sliding out in front of her her fingers unrolling and extending as she feels him fill her with his warm cum, sliding her hands back down the hood. Michael collapses on top of her panting in her hair as he slowly pulls out of her.

"Fuck, I needed that." Melody says her chest heaving as she lets her head drop onto the hood of the car with a hollow thud, Michael tilts her chin to the side so he can kiss her lips.

"I love you Mel, but Christ if you make it easy for me." Melody turns in his arms pulling her jeans up to her hips leaving them unbuttoned as she kisses him, circling her legs around his waist.

"I love you too just tell me what I need to do to make it right." She looks up into his eyes as she plays with the buttons of his shirt.

"The kids are at the hospital, come home with me and we'll talk ok?" Melody nods her bangs falling across her face as she looks down buckling her belt, she flicks her hair over one shoulder and kisses him again.

"I'd like that."


End file.
